Weekly Release #4

Upcoming Schedule
Thu-Sat., Nov. 20-22 -- at Nike Cup (Chapel Hill, N.C.), 10 a.m./6 p.m.
Thu-Sat., Dec. 4-6 -- at U.S. Open (Federal Way, Wash.), 9 a.m. PST
Fri-Sat., Dec. 5-6 -- at Eastern Michigan Invitational (Ypsilaniti, Mich.), 6 p.m.

This Week
The No. 16-ranked University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team (5-1) will participate in the Nike Cup hosted by North Carolina on Thursday through Saturday (Nov. 20-22) at Koury Natatorium in Chapel Hill, N.C. The Wolverines will compete against 10 other squads, with preliminary events starting at 10 a.m and finals beginning at 6 p.m. each day.

The Nike Cup
Michigan will face some tough competition at this weekend's Nike Cup. The Maize and Blue will line up with ACC opponents No. 15 North Carolina, N.C. State and Clemson, the SEC's Kentucky and LSU, and Syracuse and Virginia Tech from the Big East. East Carolina and Kenyon round out the 10-team field. Results from the competition will be posted online following the completion of each session at www.tarheelblue.com.

Last Week
The Wolverines edged out Ohio State 153.5-146.5 last Friday night (Nov. 14) at the Mike Peppe Aquatic Center in Columbus, Ohio. U-M swam to first-place finishes in nine of the 16 events. Freshmen Susan Gilliam (Los Angeles, Calif./Bolles HS) and Lindsey Smith (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) led the way for the Wolverines, each picking up two individual titles and teaming together on a pair of victorious relay teams. In the final event of the night, the team of Gilliam, Smith, sophomore Abby Seskevics (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven HS) and senior Anne Weilbacher (Columbus, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales HS) placed first in the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:27.30 to clinch the overall victory for Michigan.

Gilliam Makes Immediate Impact
Freshman Susan Gilliam leads the Wolverines with seven individual titles this season. Gilliam picked up her first career win in the 500-yard freestyle (4:53.26) at the tri-meet against Florida and Florida Atlantic (Oct. 17). She picked up two titles in Michigan's win over Toledo (Oct. 21), posting first-place times in the 1,650-yard freestyle (16:48.46) and the 500-yard freestyle (4:59.47). Gilliam led U-M to victory in its home opener against Florida State and Michigan State, winning three individual races. She clocked in at 9:57.51 to win the 1,000-yard freestyle before a win in the 200-yard freestyle event (1:51.13). Gilliam closed with a first-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle (4:53.24). Last weekend, she won two individual titles in a win over Ohio State (Nov. 14), the 1,000-yard freestyle (9:57.76) and the 500-yard freestyle (4:55.42).

Here's the Story...
Freshman Kaitlyn Brady (Wilmington, Del./Mount Pleasant HS) has also made some noise early in the season, swimming to first-place finishes in six races. Brady won the 200-yard backstroke (2:06.08) in the season opener against Florida and Florida Atlantic (Oct. 17) and claimed the 100-yard backstroke title (57.47) the following day at the Florida Invitational (Oct. 18). Brady claimed three events to help U-M defeat Toledo (Oct. 21), winning the 100-yard backstroke (58.29), the 50-yard freestyle (24.50) and the 200-yard backstroke (2:07.10). In U-M's meet against Florida State and Michigan State at Canham Natatorium (Nov. 7), Brady won the 200-yard backstroke race (2:03.67).

Let's Look at the Polls
The Wolverines received the No. 16 ranking in the most recent College Swim Coaches Association of America Top 25 dual meet poll, released Nov. 12. The Wolverines have already competed against two squads in the poll -- No. 2 Florida and No. 20 Florida State -- while the Big Ten Conference boasts a total of four teams on the list.

CSCAA Top 25 Dual Meet Poll (Nov. 12)

Rank, Team Pts. 1. Auburn (8) 200 2. Florida 191 3. Georgia 185 4. Stanford 176 5. Southern Cal 168 6. Texas 160 7. Arizona 152 8. SMU 141 9. California 139 10. Wisconsin 126 11. UCLA 121 12. Penn State 108 13. Arizona State 102 Indiana 102 15. North Carolina 88 16. MICHIGAN 73 17. Texas A&M 69 Virginia 69 19. Notre Dame 56 20. Florida State 51 21. Washington 35 22. Maryland 32 23. Missouri 24 24. Hawaii 11 25. Minnesota 9

Introducing the Captains...
The Wolverines have named three captains for the 2003-04 season, as Sara Johnson (West Bloomfield, Mich./Lahser HS), Anne Weilbacher and Alexis Goolik (Highland, Ind./Highland HS) have been selected to lead the Maize and Blue. Johnson earned an All-America Honorable Mention last season in the 800-yard freestyle relay, while Weilbacher is one of the most decorated Wolverines with one NCAA All-American selection and three NCAA All-America Honorable Mentions in 2002-03. Goolik, a junior diver, took 15th in the platform at the 2003 NCAA Diving Zones.

The Leader of the Wolverines
Michigan head coach Jim Richardson is in his 19th year at the helm of the Wolverines. Over that time, his teams have dominated the Big Ten Conference, winning 12 consecutive league titles from 1987-98 and adding the team's 13th in 2001. During the 1998 season, Richardson recorded his 100th career victory, against Indiana University on Jan. 30. Since Richardson took over the program in 1985-86, Michigan has finished in the NCAA top 10 all but seven years. In 1995, Michigan finished in second place as a team and followed that in 1996 by hosting the NCAA Championships and finishing third.

On the Horizon
Michigan will be back in action in two weeks at the Eastern Michigan Invitational (Dec. 5-6) in Ypsilanti, Mich. Several members of Wolverines will take part in the U.S. Open that same weekend (Dec. 4-6) in Federal Way, Wash.