Weekly Release #5
11/29/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Upcoming Schedule
Fri-Sat., Dec. 2-3 -- at Eastern Michigan Invitational (Ypsilanti, Mich.), 3:30 p.m./10 a.m.
Fri-Sat., Jan. 13-14 -- Michigan Invitational (Canham Natatorium)
This Week
The No. 14-ranked University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team (2-3, 2-1 Big Ten) will travel to Ypsilanti, Mich., for a two-day meet Friday and Saturday (Dec. 2-3) at the Jones Natatorium. The event will include Allegheny, Wayne State, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Toledo, Calvin, Findlay, and Waterloo. On Friday, the events begin at 3:30 p.m.
On Saturday, the events will take place at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Last Time In the Pool
The No. 14 University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team collected 871 points to take third place in the three-day, seven-team Texas A&M Fall Invitational, which wrapped up Sunday (Nov. 20) at the Student Rec Center Natatorium. No. 13 Texas A&M finished first with 1,123 points and No. 8 Southern Methodist just edged out Michigan for second with 891.5 points.
Kaitlyn Brady (Wilmington, Del./Mount Pleasant) led the way for the Wolverines, earning the only first-place finish for Michigan on the day. Brady's win is her third top finish in as many days. She surpassed a NCAA automatic qualifying time twice in the 200-yard backstroke, once in the preliminaries and once in the A final. She earned automatic qualifying times in two different races on the weekend. Lindsey Smith (Dexter, Mich./Dexter) took second in the 100-yard freestyle, falling short of first by just .01, and Payton Johnson (Champaign, Ill./Centennial) added a second-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly.
Brady Receives Second Big Ten Award in Three Weeks
Kaitlyn Brady of the University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team earned Big Ten Conference Swimmer of the Week for her performance this past weekend (Nov. 18-20) at the Texas A&M Fall Invitational. It is her second award in three weeks; she also earned the honor for her performance against Georgia on Nov. 5. Brady won three individual events -- 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard butterfly and 200-yard backstroke -- and earned NCAA automatic qualifying times in two events at the three-day meet. She also contributed to one relay victory.
Unbeatable Relays
The Wolverine 400-yard medley relay (3:42.24) team of Kaitlyn Brady, Valeria Silva (Lima, Peru/Alexander von Humboldt), Payton Johnson and Lindsey Smith earned its first NCAA consideration time with its first-place finish at the Texas A&M Invitational (Nov. 18). The next day (Nov. 19), the 200-yard medley relay quartet of Carolina Sierra (Medellin, Colombia/Colegio Palermo de San Jos), Silva, Brady, and L. Smith finished runner-up, also earning a consideration time (1:41.76). In the final event of the weekend (Nov. 20), the quartet of Brady, Abby Seskevics (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven), Hannah Smith (Dexter, Mich./Dexter), and L. Smith surpassed a consideration mark with a third-place finish in the 400-yard freestyle (3:21.72) relay.
She Can Swim Forever
Emily Brunemann (Crescent Springs, Ky./Notre Dame Academy) surpassed a NCAA consideration time with her fourth-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle (4:49.75) at the Texas A&M Invitational (Nov. 18). The following day (Nov. 19), she clocked in at 4:18.99 for a second-place finish in the 400-yard IM. In the preliminaries race in the event, Brunemann earned the only consideration time with a top-finish (4.22.08). On Sunday (Nov. 20), Brunemann took fifth in the 1,650-yard freestyle with her consideration time of 16:42.64.
Distance is her Niche
Susan Gilliam (Los Angeles, Calif./Bolles) earned a NCAA consideration time in the 500-yard freestyle (4:51.47), finishing in fifth at the Texas A&M Invitational (Nov. 18). Gilliam swam the fastest time in the prelminaries in the event, clocking in at 4:47.69. She had a good showing on the final day of the invitational (Nov. 20) with a third-place consideration time in the 1,650-yard freestyle (16:34.67).
She Can't Be Stopped
Lindsey Smith touched the wall in first-place fashion with a NCAA automatic qualifying time in the 200-yard freestyle (1:48.12) at the Texas A&M Invitational (Nov. 19). She also finished first in the preliminaries of the event. On Sunday (Nov. 20), Smith grabbed a consideration time in the 100-yard freestyle (49.77) with a second-place finish.
A Dominating Brady
Kaitlyn Brady surpassed a NCAA automatic qualifying mark with her top finish in the 50-yard freestyle (22.66) at the Texas A&M Invitational (Nov. 18). On Saturday (Nov. 19), Brady did it again, clocking in first in both the preliminaries (53.79) and the finals (53.97) of the 100-yard butterfly with two consideration times. Brady then took first in the 100-yard backstroke with a consideration time of 54.66, but declined to swim in the finals. On Sunday (Nov. 20), Brady earned her second automatic qualifying time of the weekend with a top finish in the 200-yard backstroke (1:56.35). She also surpassed an automatic qualifying mark in the preliminaries (1:58.00).
Amazing Mueller
Justine Mueller (Monroe, Mich./Monroe) nabbed a NCAA consideration time with her fifth-place finish in the 200-yard IM at the Texas A&M Invitational (Nov. 18). On Saturday (Nov. 19), Mueller earned a first-place and NCAA consideration time in the 400-yard IM (4:18.21). On Sunday (Nov. 20), she surpassed a NCAA consideration mark with her third-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:17.61).
Successful Silva
Valeria Silva earned a NCAA considertion time in the 200-yard breaststroke (1:03.58) with her fourth-place finish at the Texas A&M Invitational (Nov. 20).
Fantastic Freshmen
On Sunday (Nov. 20), Hannah Smith surpassed a NCAA consideration mark with her fifth-place finish in the 200-yard backstroke (2:01.00) at the Texas A&M Invitational. Later that day, Payton Johnson swam a runner-up time in the 200-yard butterfly (2:02.22).
Platform Queens
The Wolverines scored 3-4-5 in the platform dive on Sunday (Nov. 20) at the Texas A&M Invitational. Elyse Lee (Albion, Mich./Albion) earned 222.65 for third, Katie Skendrovic (Spring Lake, Mich./Spring Lake) earned 218.15 for fourth and Ellen Van Cleve (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) earned 213.90 for fifth.
2004-05 Season in Review
The University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team provided many stellar individual and group performances during the 2004-05 season. The Wolverines earned their third straight winning season after posting a 4-2 record overall and a 3-1 record in the Big Ten. Last season, Michigan placed fourth at the Big Ten Conference championships and finished in a tie with Texas A&M for 14th-place at the NCAA Championships.
The highest ranking the Wolverines held in the CSCAA Top 25 Dual Meet Poll during the season was 13th, which the Maize and Blue held for three consecutive weeks (Jan. 11-Feb. 1). The unranked Wolverines began the season at home against Florida on Oct. 16, but dropped the meet 164-131 despite finishing the meet with five first-place finishes.
In their first road meet of the season, the Wolverines took first place in 12 of the 14 events at Michigan State on October 27 on their way to a 159-133 victory. Susan Gilliam swept the distance freestyle events, finishing nearly 29 seconds ahead of the second-place holder in the 1,000-yard freestyle, with a time of 9:52.62.
The Maize and Blue finished in fifth place out of eight teams at the Boilermaker Challenge (Nov. 5-6). Gilliam ensured her trip to the 2005 NCAA Championships after earning qualifying times in both the 500-yard freestyle (4:45.02) and 1650-yard freestyle (16:20.85) races. The Wolverines then won their second home meet on Nov. 19 with a 126-112 win over Ohio State. Gilliam (500-yard and 1,000-yard freestyle), Lindsey Smith (100-yard and 200-yard freestyle) and Kaitlyn Brady (50-yard freestyle and 200-yard backstroke) each took first place in two individual events.
The Wolverines faired well in the Indiana Invitational (Nov. 19-21), placing second out of eight teams in the three-day event. Gilliam and Brady nabbed first place finishes each day. The Wolverines won their first invitational of the year at the Eastern Michigan Invitational with an outstanding 1,091 points, besting second-place Eastern Michigan's 976 points. Brady set a Jones Natatorium pool-record time of 2:01.45 in the 200-yard backstroke on the first day. Both Ellen Van Cleve, in the three-meter, and Elyse Lee, in the one-meter springboard, earned individual titles for the first time.
Two weeks after a 209-170 exhibition win over Notre Dame, the Wolverines defeated Illinois and Notre Dame at the Notre Dame Invitational tri-meet (Jan. 14-15) 204-163. Michigan dropped a 168-132 decision at No. 23-ranked Northwestern (Jan. 22). Brady, Justine Mueller and Amy McCullough each won two individual races. The Wolverines defeated Notre Dame 161-138 in the season finale at home on Jan. 28. McCullough captured a top finish in her final race at Canham Natatorium with a season-best time of 1:51.31 in the 200-yard freestyle. Alexis Goolik, in her final appearance as well, surpassed NCAA zone qualifying standards in the one-meter board (313.50) and the three-meter board (300.30).
The Wolverines claimed fourth place at the Big Ten Championships in Bloomington, Ind. (Feb. 16-19). The Maize and Blue won eight Big Ten titles during the four-day event. Brady won the 50-yard freestyle and Smith had wins in both the 100-yard and 200-yard freestyle races, including a record-breaking time of 1:45.26 in the 200-yard freestyle. Mueller attained a team-best and Big Ten Championship-best three individual titles of her own. She won the 200-yard breaststroke and set pool record times in both the 200-yard and 400-yard individual medleys. The Michigan relay teams grabbed the 400-yard and 800-yard freestyle relay titles. Mueller earned Big Ten Conference Swimmer of the Championship and Freshman of the Year honors.
Michigan finished in a tie for 14th-place at the NCAA Championships in West Lafayette, Ind. (March 17-19). The quartet of Brady, McCullough, Abby Seskevics (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven), and Smith held the best finish for Michigan, placing fifth in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Smith gave Michigan its only individual All-America honor in the 200-yard freestyle, while the 200-yard freestyle relay quartet earned All-America honors in both the 200-yard and 400-yard freestyle relays.
Brady (50-yard freestyle), McCullough (200-yard freestyle) and Mueller (200-yard and 400-yard individual medley) each earned NCAA Honorable Mention All-America Honors.
Going International ...
Two members of the University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team competed at the 2005 U.S. World Championship Trials at IUPUI's University Natatorium (April 1-6). Freshman Justine Mueller qualified for the finals in three events, including a 10th-place finish in the 200-meter individual medley, and was named to this summer's World University Games roster. Sophomore Lindsey Smith qualifed for "C" finals in a pair of freestyle events.
Mueller's top finish came on the first day of the trials (Friday, April 1), as she touched in 10th in the 200-meter IM at 2:16.74.
At the 23rd World University Games (Aug. 13), Mueller touched the wall in 2:21.48 to earn seventh place in the "B" final (15th overall) after clocking in at 2:20.91 in her preliminary heat. The World University Games, or "Universiade," is an Olympic-style sporting and cultural festival for student-athletes. Approximately 9,000 athletes from 170 countries participate in 14 different sports throughout the competition. The inaugural Universiade took place in Turin, Italy, in 1959 and the Games have been staged in a different city every two years since then. The United States hosted the 17th World University Games in Buffalo, N.Y., in 1993.
Welcome to Ann Arbor
Michigan welcomes nine newcomers to its 2005-06 roster. Aubriana Ard (Wheaton, Ill./Warrenville South), Courtney Beyer (Los Altos Hills, Calif./Los Altos), Emily Brunemann (Crescent Springs, Ky./Notre Dame Academy), Payton Johnson (Champaign, Ill./Centennial), Melissa Karner (Dundee, Mich./Dundee), Noelle Martin (Winston-Salem, N.C./Reynolds), Lori Morton (Portage, Mich./Central), Christine Nichols (Fairfax, Va./Woodson), and Hannah Smith (Dexter, Mich./Dexter) all join the U-M swimming and diving program this season.
Introducing the Captains ...
The Wolverines have named two captains for the 2005-06 season. Senior Elsa Larson and junior Lindsey Smith have been selected by their teammates to lead the team as captains in the 2005-06 season. Both swimmers also garner the accolade for the first time in their respective careers at Michigan. Larson, Michigan's most experienced breaststroker, is one of three returning Wolverines in their fourth year at Michigan. Larson was one of two Wolverines, graduated senior Tracy Egnatuck being the other, to earn CSCAA Honorable Mention Academic All-America honors in 2005. Smith had the best showing of any Wolverine at the NCAA Championships last season, earning the only individual NCAA All-America honor (200-yard freestyle) for the Wolverines last season to go along with her two relay NCAA All-America honors (200-yard and 400-yard freestyle relay). Her sister, Hannah Smith, is a freshman swimmer on this year's Wolverine squad.
The Leader of the Wolverines
Michigan head swimming coach Jim Richardson is entering his 21st year at the helm of the Wolverines. Over that time, his teams have dominated the Big Ten, winning 12 consecutive league titles from 1987-98 and adding the team's 13th in 2001 and 14th in 2004. Since taking over the program in 1985-86, Michigan has finished in the NCAA top 10 all but nine years. In 1995, U-M finished in second place as a team and followed that in 1996 by hosting the NCAA Championships and finishing third. He holds a career record of 141-51 in dual meet competiton, including an impressive 95-13 mark in Big Ten action.
Richardson has coached seven individual national champions, 121 NCAA All-Americans and 150 Honorable Mention All-Americans. On the conference level, he has guided 139 individual and relay champions and has been named the Big Ten Coach of the Year six times. A two-time NCAA Coach of the Year (1993, '95), Richardson's athletes have excelled in the classroom as well as the pool, with 22 CSCAA Academic All-Americans and 179 Academic All-Big Ten nominations.
On the Horizon ...
Following the holiday break the Wolverines will host the Michigan Invitational on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 13-14, at Canham Natatorium.
Contact: Matt Baumer (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
