Michigan
California
Wolverines Drop Season Opener to Eighth-Ranked Cal
10/27/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The 15th-ranked University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team fell 167-128 to the eighth-ranked California Golden Bears in its season opener Thursday (Oct. 27) at Canham Natatorium. The Wolverines swept the diving events with sophomore Elyse Lee (Albion, Mich./Albion) coming in first in the one-meter springboard event with a score of 200.70 and junior Ellen Van Cleve (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) taking the top spot on the three-meter board with a score of 203.60. Junior Susan Gilliam (Los Angeles, Calif./Bolles) highlighted the swimming events with a top time in the 1,000-yard freestyle (9:56.36).
Junior Lindsey Smith (Dexter, Mich./Dexter) earned an NCAA 'B' standard time of 1:49.27 in the 200-yard freestyle, missing the first-place time by .02, and nearly taking second in the 100-yard freestyle. Her time of 51.48 in the 100-yard freestyle was .04 short of the second-place finisher from California. Smith also anchored Michigan's second-place 200-yard medley relay team, teaming with Carolina Sierra (Medellin, Columbia./Colegio Palermo de San Jose), Valeria Silva (Lima, Peru./Alexander von Humboldt) and Kaitlyn Brady (Wilmington, Del./Mount Pleasent) for a time of 1:43.53, just .50 behind the first-place finisher.
Brady also had a strong showing in the 50-yard freestyle, touching the wall at 23.45 for a second-place finish. Brady completed an NCAA 'B' standard time in the 100-yard backstroke with a second-place time of 1:00.80.
In her first collegiate race, Emily Brunemann (Crescent Springs, Ky./Notre Dame Academy) finished behind Gilliam in the 1,000-yard freestyle for a second-place finish (10:01.77). Brunemann also had the top time for the Wolverines in the 500-yard freestyle, with a second-place finish of 4:56.06. Fellow freshman Payton Johnson (Champaign, Ill./Centennial) also had an impressive debut. Johnson took second in the 100-yard butterfly, touching the wall at 56.03, and she had the best time of any Wolverine in the 200-yard butterfly with a fourth-place time of 2:03.29.
Lee and Van Cleve dominated the diving events for the Wolverines. In addition to grabbing first in the one-meter diving, Lee finished right behind Van Cleve in the three-meter event with a score of 185.90. Van Cleve did the same, finishing second behind Lee on the one-meter board with a score of 180.05.
California chose to swim exhibition in the final two events. Johnson took first (2:08.14) in the 200-yard individual medley, just ahead of sophomore Michelle Uhlig's (Boalsburg, Pa./State College Area) time of 2:10.89. In the the 400-yard freestyle relay, Michigan's 'A' team of Brady, freshman Hannah Smith (Dexter, Mich./Dexter), freshman Noelle Martin (Winston-Salem, N.C./Reynolds), and Lindsey Smith posted the top time of 3:26.72.
The Wolverines stay home to face Michigan State at 6 p.m tomorrow (Friday, Oct. 28) at Canham Natatorium.
Players Mentioned
