Friday, December 5
Ypsilanti, Mich.
6:00 PM
Michigan
at
EMU Invitational (Day 1)
Michigan Holds First After Day One of EMU Invite
12/5/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Site: Ypsilanti, Mich. (Jones Natatorium)
Event: EMU Invitational
U-M Team Standing: 1st Place of 7 Teams (297 Points) After Day 1
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Dec. 5 -- at EMU Invitational (Ypsilanti, Mich.), 9 a.m./6 p.m.
YPSILANTI, Mich. -- The No. 18-ranked University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team used wins by senior Hannah Smith(Dexter, Mich./Dexter) and freshman Liz Johnson(Milford, Mich./Milford) to propel the Wolverines into first place after the first day of the seven-team Eastern Michigan Invitational Friday night (Dec. 5) in Jones Natatorium. Michigan has 297 points and leads Eastern Michigan by just four heading into Saturday.
Johnson picked up the Wolverines' first win in the 200-yard backstroke as she finished with a time of 2:04.27. The freshman started fast, pulling ahead over the first 50 yards with a split of 28.66 and never relinquishing the lead as she finished nearly a full second ahead of the rest of the field.
The Maize and Blue followed Johnson's lead in 100-yard freestyle as the team placed three swimmers in the top four, led by Smith, who finished in first with a time of 50.00, a new career best. Smith was followed by sophomore Natasha Moodie(Miramar, Fla./Miramar), who finished in third with a time of 51.78, and senior Payton Johnson(Champaign, Ill./Centennial), who finished fourth with a time of 51.85. Smith's win was never in doubt as she led by over a second at the 50-yard mark and won by a margin of 1.69 seconds.
Junior Margaret Kelly(Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) added the Wolverines' fourth top-three finish of the evening in the 200-yard breaststroke when she finished in second place with a time of 2:19.16, just .35 seconds out of first. Kelly's time is a new career best and the fastest 200-yard breaststroke time of any U-M swimmer this season.
In the 200-yard butterfly, the final individual event of the evening, Michigan once again managed to place multiple swimmers in the top five as junior Emily Christy (Schwenksville, Pa./Spring-Ford Area Senior) finished third with a time of 2:03.64 and senior Lori Morton(Portage, Mich./Central) followed close behind with a fourth-place finish in 2:03.86, a new career best.
Michigan closed the evening on a high note as the 400-yard freestyle relay squad of Smith, Moodie, Kelly and junior Leigh Cole(Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) finished first with a time of 3:24.35, over four seconds ahead of Eastern Michigan, which finished in second place. The Maize and Blue's second relay squad of freshman Liz Koselka(Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer), Payton Johnson, freshman Alexa Mehesan(West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) and freshman Kristyne Cole (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) finished in third. Mehesan provided the big push during the third leg with a split of 50.07, the fastest of any swimmer in the pool at the time.
The Wolverines jump in the pool again tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 5) for the second and final day of the Eastern Michigan Invitational. Sessions will start at 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. at Jones Natatorium in Ypsilanti.
Event: EMU Invitational
U-M Team Standing: 1st Place of 7 Teams (297 Points) After Day 1
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Dec. 5 -- at EMU Invitational (Ypsilanti, Mich.), 9 a.m./6 p.m.
YPSILANTI, Mich. -- The No. 18-ranked University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team used wins by senior Hannah Smith(Dexter, Mich./Dexter) and freshman Liz Johnson(Milford, Mich./Milford) to propel the Wolverines into first place after the first day of the seven-team Eastern Michigan Invitational Friday night (Dec. 5) in Jones Natatorium. Michigan has 297 points and leads Eastern Michigan by just four heading into Saturday.
Johnson picked up the Wolverines' first win in the 200-yard backstroke as she finished with a time of 2:04.27. The freshman started fast, pulling ahead over the first 50 yards with a split of 28.66 and never relinquishing the lead as she finished nearly a full second ahead of the rest of the field.
The Maize and Blue followed Johnson's lead in 100-yard freestyle as the team placed three swimmers in the top four, led by Smith, who finished in first with a time of 50.00, a new career best. Smith was followed by sophomore Natasha Moodie(Miramar, Fla./Miramar), who finished in third with a time of 51.78, and senior Payton Johnson(Champaign, Ill./Centennial), who finished fourth with a time of 51.85. Smith's win was never in doubt as she led by over a second at the 50-yard mark and won by a margin of 1.69 seconds.
Junior Margaret Kelly(Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) added the Wolverines' fourth top-three finish of the evening in the 200-yard breaststroke when she finished in second place with a time of 2:19.16, just .35 seconds out of first. Kelly's time is a new career best and the fastest 200-yard breaststroke time of any U-M swimmer this season.
In the 200-yard butterfly, the final individual event of the evening, Michigan once again managed to place multiple swimmers in the top five as junior Emily Christy (Schwenksville, Pa./Spring-Ford Area Senior) finished third with a time of 2:03.64 and senior Lori Morton(Portage, Mich./Central) followed close behind with a fourth-place finish in 2:03.86, a new career best.
Michigan closed the evening on a high note as the 400-yard freestyle relay squad of Smith, Moodie, Kelly and junior Leigh Cole(Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) finished first with a time of 3:24.35, over four seconds ahead of Eastern Michigan, which finished in second place. The Maize and Blue's second relay squad of freshman Liz Koselka(Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer), Payton Johnson, freshman Alexa Mehesan(West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) and freshman Kristyne Cole (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) finished in third. Mehesan provided the big push during the third leg with a split of 50.07, the fastest of any swimmer in the pool at the time.
The Wolverines jump in the pool again tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 5) for the second and final day of the Eastern Michigan Invitational. Sessions will start at 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. at Jones Natatorium in Ypsilanti.
Team Standings (After Day 1)
1. MICHIGAN 297 2. Eastern Michigan 293 3. Wayne State 199 4. Toledo 174 5. Kalamazoo 61 6. Northern Michigan 27 7. Findlay 22
Event Winners/U-M Finishes (Day 1)
1,650-yard Freestyle 1. Jacy Dyer, Toledo 16:25.12# 6. Carleigh Schwartz, U-M 17:23.78 8. Kristyne Cole, U-M 17:28.83 13. Catherine Nosal, U-M 17:43.50 14. Taylor Grenda, U-M 17:45.58 ex. Mary Catherine Steiner, U-M 17:41.48
200-yard Backstroke 1. Elizabeth Johnson, U-M 2:04.27 5. Alexa Mahesan, U-M 2:07.47 9. Tess Godfrey, U-M 2:10.40 10. Caitlin Dauw, U-M 2:11.40 ex. Leigh Cole, U-M 2:06.65
100-yard Freestyle 1. Hannah Smith, U-M 50.00 3. Natasha Moodie, U-M 51.78 4. Payton Johnson, U-M 51.85 13. Megan Craig, U-M 54.14 ex. Claire Tyler, U-M 53.77 ex. Catherine Nosal, U-M 54.25
200-yard Breaststroke 1. Ashley Durand, EMU 2:18.71 2. Margaret Kelly, U-M 2:19.16 8. Morgan Rosentreter, U-M 2:23.28 12. Liz Kosleka, U-M 2:28.83
200-yard Butterfly 1. Elaina Hogle, Wayne State 2:03.33 3. Emily Christy, U-M 2:03.64 4. Lori Morton, U-M 2:03.86 6. Keenan Koss, U-M 2:06.07 7. Noelle Martin, U-M 2:06.35
400-yard Freestyle Relay 1. Michigan "A" 3:24.35 (Hannah Smith, Natasha Moodie Margaret Kelly, Leigh Cole) 3. Michigan "B" 3:29.43 (Liz Koselka, Payton Johnson, Alexa Mehesen, Kristyne Cole)
# NCAA consideration time ^ NCAA zone diving qualifying mark ! EMU Invitational record
Contact: Joe Arancio (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
Fly/Free/Distance
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Free/Distance
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Sprints/Free
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Free
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Fly
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Back
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Free/IM
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Free/Back
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Sprints/Fly
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Back/Fly/IM
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Free
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Fly/Free
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Fly/Free
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Free/Sprints
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Sprints/Free
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Fly
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Free/Distance
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Breast
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Free
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Back/Sprints
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Distance
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Free
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