Weekly Release #6
12/27/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Upcoming Schedule
Tuesday, Jan. 3 -- at Copa Coqui (San Juan, Puerto Rico), 10 a.m.
Fri-Sat., Jan. 13-14 -- Michigan Invitational (Canham Natatorium)
Saturday, Jan. 21 -- vs. Northwestern (Canham Natatorium), 1 p.m.
This Week
The No. 15-ranked University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team (2-3, 2-1) will leave the country and head to San Juan, Puerto Rico for the Copa Coqui 2006 on Tuesday (Jan. 4) at 10 a.m. at the Piscina de Encatada.
Last Time In the Pool
The University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team swept all the swimming event titles for the second straight day Saturday (Dec. 3) on its way to a first-place finish at the Eastern Michigan Invitational at Jones Natatorium. Michigan's 1,075 points bested Eastern Michigan's 1,056 points for the win. Trailing EMU by 15 points entering the day's action, the Wolverines went 1-2 in the first three events and in six events overall. The Wolverine relay teams also won all four relay races on the day. Kaitlyn Brady (Wilmington, Del./Mount Pleasant) helped the Wolverines to the win with her second and third top individual finishes of the weekend and two relay top finishes. On the first day of the event (Fri., Dec. 2), the Wolverines accumlated 349 points after finishing first in all of the swimming events.
Unbeatable Relays
Michigan took first in all five relay events at the EMU Invitational (Dec. 2-3). The quartet of Kaitlyn Brady, Abby Seskevics (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven), Hannah Smith (Dexter, Mich./Dexter), and Lindsey Smith (Dexter, Mich./Dexter) swam an EMU Invitational record time in the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:24.28). Carolina Sierra (Medellin, Colombia/Colegio Palermo de San Jos), Valeria Silva (Lima, Peru/Alexander von Humboldt), Brady, and Lindsey Smith swam another EMU Invitational time in the 200-yard medley relay (1:45.34). In the 800-yard freestyle relay, Emily Brunemann (Crescent Springs, Ky./Notre Dame Academy), Hannah Smith, Susan Gilliam (Los Angeles, Calif./Bolles), and Lindsey Smith combined to clock in for an EMU Invitational record time (7:29.06). The foursome of Brady, Seskevics, Hannah and Lindsey Smith took first in the 200-yard freestyle with an EMU Invitational record time (1:34.91). In the final event of the meet, Hannah Smith, Brunemann, Payton Johnson (Champaign, Ill./Centennial) and Noelle Martin (Winston-Salem, N.C./R.J. Reynolds) swam a first-place time in the 400-yard medley relay (3:54.11).
She Can Swim Forever
Emily Brunemann (Crescent Springs, Ky./Notre Dame Academy) swam an EMU Invitational record time (16.52.21) in the 1,650-yard freestyle at the EMU Invitational (Dec. 2-3). She also grabbed first in the 400-yard IM with another EMU Invitational record time(4:27.77).
Distance is her Niche
Susan Gilliam (Los Angeles, Calif./Bolles) swam runner-up in both the 1,650-yard freestyle (17:06.29) and the 400-yard IM (4:34.62) at the EMU Invitational (Dec. 2-3). Gilliam also earned a first-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle (4:55.42), swimming an EMU Invitational record time.
First-Place Brady
Kaitlyn Brady nabbed three first-place finishes in the two days of the EMU Invitational (Dec. 2-3). She took first with EMU Invitational record times in the 100-yard freestyle (50.91) and the 200-yard IM (2:06.47). She also earned a top finish in the 100-yard backstroke (56.50).
Is She Really a Freshman
Hannah Smith (Dexter, Mich./Dexter) earned three top finishes at the EMU Invitational (Dec. 2-3). She had the top times in the 200-yard backstroke (2:02.69), the 100-yard backstroke (57.02) and the 50-yard freestyle (24.02).
Successful Silva
Valeria Silva took first in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:05.92) at the EMU Invitational (Dec. 2-3).
Fantastic Freshman
Payton Johnson swam a first-place time in the 200-yard butterfly (2:05.45) at the EMU Invitational (Dec. 2-3).
She is Free
Lindsey Smith earned one first-place, one second-place and one third-place finish at the EMU Invitational (Dec. 2-3). In the 100-yard freestyle (50.95), Smith finished just .04 behind first-place finisher Kaitlyn Brady for second. In the 500-yard freestyle, Smith clocked in for a third-place finish (4:58.39). She also earned the best time in the 200-yard freestyle (1:50.64).
Diving Lee
Elyse Lee (Albion, Mich./Albion) had the best scores of any Wolverine in the one-meter and the three-meter dives at the EMU Invitational (Dec. 2-3). Lee surpassed a zone qualifying mark with her second-place score of 268.15 in the one-meter dive. She took third in the three-meter dive with a score of 257.95.
Other Almosts
The Wolverines earned several more second-place times at the EMU Invitational (Dec. 2-3). Carolina Sierra clocked in for a runner-up finishes in the 200-yard backstroke (2:06.40) and the 100-yard backstroke (59.22). Ashley McLaughlin (Monroe, Mich./Monroe) nabbed second place in the 100-breaststroke (1:06.38) and Justine Mueller (Monroe, Mich./Monroe) earned a runner-up time in the 200-yard IM (2:07.53).
Morton Makes Swim Debut
Lori Morton (Portage, Mich./Central) swam her first career races at the EMU Invitational. Morton swam exhibition in the 200-yard butterfly (2:12.38), the 100-yard butterfly (59.37), and the 200-yard IM (2:14.27).
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 (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer), 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, 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.
Introducing the Captains ...
The Wolverines have named two captains for the 2005-06 season. Senior Elsa Larson (Portland, Ore./Lincoln) 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
