Michigan Well Represented on U.S. Rosters for Summer
4/7/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Following the United States World Championships and World University Games trials on April 1-6, seven swimmers and eight coaches with ties to the University of Michigan men's swimming and diving program will be representing the U.S. at the upcoming international competitions.
U-M juniors Davis Tarwater (Knoxville, Tenn./The Webb School) and Peter Vanderkaay (Rochester, Mich./Adams HS) highlight a group of six Wolverines that will be competing in the World Championships on July 17-31 in Montreal, Canada. Joining Tarwater and Vanderkaay in the pool will be U-M volunteer assistant coach Michael Phelps, former U-M letterwinner Chris Thompson (1998-2001) and Club Wolverine member Klete Keller. U-M head coach Bob Bowman will serve as an assistant coach on the USA's World Championships squad.
Tarwater won the 200-meter butterfly in 1:58.71 after posting the top time in the prelims, clocking in at 2:00.36. Swimming in lane four in the finals, Tarwater sat in fifth overall after the first 50 meters of the race. However, with splits of 30.17 and 30.21 over the next two lengths of the race, Tarwater took the lead with just 50 meters remaining and cruised on to the victory.
Vanderkaay qualified in the 200-meter freestyle, the 400-meter freestyle and the 4x200-meter relay with second-place finishes in the 200- and 400-meter freestyles. In the 200-meter freestyle, Vanderkaay got off the blocks quickly with an opening split 25.24. Vanderkaay held on to his position with splits of 27.50, 27.86 and 27.67 to finish second with a time of 1:48.27.
In the 400-meter freestyle, Vanderkaay followed the same strategy he used in the 200-meter freestyle, sitting second throughout the race. After posting a split of 26.70 on the first leg of the race to hold second by 0.10 seconds, Vanderkaay increased his lead to more than one second heading into the final 50 meters of the race.
Phelps was the top qualifier at the World Championship Trials and will compete in up to seven events at the World Championships. Phelps won the 100-meter freestyle in 49.00, the 200-meter freestyle in 1:46.44, the 400-meter freestyle in 3:47.79, the 100-meter butterfly in 51.34 and the 200-yard individual medley in 1:57.44. He is also slated as a member of the U.S.'s 4x100- and 4x200-meter freestyle relays.
Keller finished behind Phelps and Vanderkaay in the 200-meter freestyle to take third with a time of 1:48.67 and qualify for the 4x200-meter freestyle relay. With Florida's Ryan Lochte filling the final relay spot, the U.S. will be represented by the same squad that won the gold medal in the 4x200-meter relay at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
Thompson will round out the Michigan contingent on the World Championships team, qualifying in the 1,500-meter freestyle. After starting the trials with an eighth-place showing in the 200-meter freestyle, Thompson bounced back to finish second in both the 1,500-meter freestyle and the 800-meter freestyle with times of 15:11.24 and 8:03.79, respectively.
The Wolverines also placed a pair of swimmers on the World University Games roster, set to compete on August 11-21 in Izmir, Turkey. Junior Chris DeJong (Holland, Mich./Holland HS) finished fourth in the 200-meter backstroke, clocking in at 2:00.69 to qualify for the team. DeJong sat in seventh after the first 50 meters of the race but was able to climb one spot over each leg of the race to take fourth overall.
DeJong will be joined by incoming freshman Bobby Savulich (Edison, N.J./St. Joseph HS). Savulich, representing Scarlet Aquatic, is scheduled as a member of the 4x200-meter freestyle relay team after taking 12th overall at the World Championships Trials with a time of 1:50.96.
The Wolverines received a number of other top-10 finishes at the World Championship Trials. Christian Vanderkaay (Rochester, Mich./Adams HS) took ninth in the 100-meter breaststroke with a time of 1:04.18. Zayd Ma (Ann Arbor, Mich./Clonlara HS) finished eighth in the 200-meter butterfly, clocking in at 2:01.57. In addition to his victory in the 200-meter butterfly, Tarwater took fourth in the 100-meter butterfly in 53.45 and was followed to the wall by Club Wolverine member Ben Michaelson in seventh at 54.08. In the 1,500-meter freestyle, U-M signee Matthew Patton (Matthews, N.C./David W. Butler HS) took ninth with a time of 15:53.23.
Event Winners/U-M Finishes
(Preliminary time in parentheses if faster than finals time)
400-meter Freestyle
1. Michael Phelps, Club Wolverine 3:47.79* 2. Peter Vanderkaay, U-M 3:49.38* 8. Chris Thompson, Club Wolverine 3:59.04 (3:55.63) 14. Matthew Patton, Mecklenburg 3:59.50 (3:57.58) 29. Christian Sprang, Gcit Swimming 4:05.19 32. Bobby Savulich, Scarlet Aquatic 4:05.86
100-meter Breaststroke
1. Brendan Hansen, Longhorn Aquatics 1:00.13* 9. Christian Vanderkaay, U-M 1:04.18 20. Grant Burtch, U-M 1:04.96 21. Andrew Albright, U-M 1:05.13 (1:04.84)
400-meter Individual Medley
1. Ryan Lochte, Florida 4:16.83* 11. Alex Vanderkaay, U-M 4:29.39
200-meter Freestyle
1. Michael Phelps, Club Wolverine 1:46.44* 2. Peter Vanderkaay, U-M 1:48.27* 3. Klete Keller, Club Wolverine 1:48.67* 12. Bobby Savulich, Scarlet Aquatic 1:50.96# 40. Matthew Patton, Mecklenburg 1:55.02 44. Sal Barba, Shawmut Aquatic 1:55.24
100-meter Backstroke
1. Aaron Peirsol, Longhorn Aquatic 53.17* 24. Dane Grenda, U-M 58.63 (58.27)
200-meter Butterfly
1. Davis Tarwater, U-M 1:58.71* 8. Zayd Ma, U-M 2:01.57 20. Alex Vanderkaay, U-M 2:04.34
100-meter Butterfly
1. Michael Phelps, Club Wolverine 51.34* 4. Davis Tarwater, U-M 53.45 7. Ben Michaelson, Club Wolverine 54.08 (53.87)
50-meter Freestyle
1. Jason Lezak, Irvine Novaquatics 22.29*
100-meter Freestyle
1. Michael Phelps, Club Wolverine 49.00* 20. Ben Michaelson, Club Wolverine 51.52 (51.30) 27. Bobby Savulich, Scarlet Aquatic 51.95 50. Sal Barba, Shawmut Aquatic 53.43
200-meter Individual Medley
1. Michael Phelps, Club Wolverine 1:57.44* 24. Dane Grenda, U-M 2:09.77 (2:08.98) 37. Christian Vanderkaay, U-M 2:10.80 47. Bobby Savulich, Scarlet Aquatic 2:14.21
200-meter Backstroke
1. Aaron Peirsol, Longhorn Aquatic 1:55.13* 4. Chris DeJong, U-M 2:00.69# 15. Dane Grenda, U-M 2:06.29
200-meter Breaststroke
1. Brendan Hansen, Longhorn Aquatics 2:10.20* 20. Christian Vanderkaay, U-M 2:23.53 28. Grant Burtch, U-M 2:26.19 -- Andrew Albright, U-M DQ
1,500-meter Freestyle
1. Larsen Jensen, Southern Cal 15:04.06* 2. Chris Thompson, Club Wolverine 15:11.24* 9. Matthew Patton, Mecklenburg 15:53.23 11. Zayd Ma, U-M 15:56.57 14. Johnny Austermann, U-M 15:59.75 32. Christian Sprang, Gcit Swimming 16:23.71
800-meter Freestyle
1. Larsen Jensen, Southern Cal 7:54.22 2. Chris Thompson, Club Wolverine 8:03.79 12. Christian Sprang, Gcit Swimming 8:25.57 * Indicated World Championships team member # Indicates World University Games team member
Contact: Paul Dickerson (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
