Michigan
NCAA Championships
Vanderkaay Repeats as National Champion at NCAA Championships
3/28/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving
Site: Federal Way, Wash. (Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center)
Event: NCAA Championships (Day 2)
U-M Team Standing: 6th Place of 33 Teams (197 Points)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, March 29 -- at NCAA Championships (Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center), Noon/7 p.m.
FEDERAL WAY, Wash. -- Senior Alex Vanderkaay(Rochester, Mich./Adams) is once again a national champion, claiming the NCAA title in the 400-yard individual medley for the second straight season to lead the No. 4-ranked University of Michigan men's swimming and diving team Friday (March 28) on the second day of the NCAA Championships at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center.
Vanderkaay won the second NCAA title of his career when he clocked a 3:41.58 in the 400-yard IM. Leading the entire length of the race, Vanderkaay was less than 0.70 seconds off his previous best time of 3:40.89 that he set in the same event last season. The victory was U-M's first back-to-back NCAA championship since Alex's brother Peter Vanderkaay (2003-2006) won the 500-yard freestyle event in 2005 and 2006.
Sophomores Scott Spann(Austin, Texas/Westlake), Alon Mandel(Netanya, Isreal/Eldad), Chris Brady(Wilmington, Del./Mount Pleasant) and junior Bobby Savulich(Edison, N.J./St. Joseph) began the day finishing seventh in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:26.24, capturing All-America honors. Auburn won the event with a NCAA record time of 1:23.24.
Vanderkaay's sizzling display was enhanced when sophomore Andre Schultz(Sao Paulo, Brazil/Colegio Palmares) claimed his second All-America honor of the championships, placing eighth (3:46.15) in the 400-yard IM. Freshman sensation Tyler Clary(Riverside, Calif./Poly HS) began the Wolverines' surge in the event when he won his second NCAA consolation title of the championships, placing ninth overall with a time of 3:44.17. Senior Dane Grenda(Hockessin, Del./Salesianum HS) followed his teammate in the consolation, finishing seventh (15th overall) with a time of 3:48.90. The group of Wolverines combined for 42 points and moved Michigan up to third in the overall team standings.
Brady and Savulich were the lone Wolverines to compete in their respected events. Brady took home 12th overall in the 100-yard butterfly after he finished fourth in the consolation finals with a time of 46.72, collecting five points. Savulich followed in the 200-yard freestyle consolation, placing 16th (1:36.82) to gather one point.
Spann ended the Wolverines run in individual events, placing fourth in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 52.71 to earn All-American honors and 15 more points for the Maize and Blue.
The Wolverines captured eighth place in the 800-yard freestyle relay with Clary, juniors Matt Patton(Matthews, N.C./Butler) and Sal Barba(Hudson, Mass./St. Johns) and Schultz. Schultz -- the anchor in the event -- touched the wall for a team time of 6:24.40 to claim All-American accolades and the final 22 points of the night for Michigan.
Championship action will conclude Saturday (March 29) with prelims at noon, followed by the first six heats of the 1,650-yard freestyle timed final, starting at 4:18 p.m., and the rest of the finals starting at 7 p.m.
Team Standings (After Day 2)
1. Arizona 376 2. Texas 285 3. Stanford 231 4. California 222.5 5. Auburn 213 6. MICHIGAN 197 7. Indiana 141 8. Florida 140 9. Georgia 137 10. Tennessee 119
Event Winners/U-M Finishers (Day 2)
(Preliminary time in parentheses if faster than finals time)
200-yard Medley Relay 1. Auburn 1:23.24 (Scott Goodrich, David Maras, Alexei Puninski, Ceasar Cielo) 7. Michigan 1:26.24 (1:25.65) (Alon Mandel, Scott Spann, Chris Brady, Bobby Savulich)
400-yard Individual Medley 1. Alex Vanderkaay, U-M 3:41.58 8. Andre Schultz, U-M 3:46.15 (3:45.18) 9. Tyler Clary, U-M 3:44.17 15. Dane Grenda, U-M 3:48.90 100-yard Butterfly 1. Albert Subirats, Arizona 45.07 12. Chris Brady, U-M 46.72 (46.39) 22. Curtis Dauw, U-M (47.29) 38. Alon Mandel, U-M (48.48) 200-yard Freestyle 1. Dave Walters, Texas 1:32.56 16. Bobby Savukich, U-M 1:36.82 (1:35.55) 20. Sal Barba, U-M (1:35.89) 31. Matt Patton, U-M (1:36.67) 100-yard Breaststroke 1. Paul Kornfeld, Stanford 52.03 4. Scott Spann, U-M 52.71 (52.68)
100-yard Backstroke 1. Ben Hesen, Indiana 44.72 20. Alon Mandel, U-M (47.63) Three-meter Diving 1. Landon Marzullo, Indiana 423.55 800-yard Freestyle Relay 1. Arizona 6:12.85* (Jean Basson, Darian Townsend, Joel Greenshield, Nicholas Nilo) 8. Michigan 6:24.40 (Tyler Clary, Matt Patton, Sal Barba, Andre Schultz)
* NCAA meet record
Day 1 Results
Q U O T E S
Senior Alex Vanderkaay
On winning the NCAA Chammpionship in 400 IM ... "I knew I had to go out after it; it was the only way to do it. I was hurting on that last hundred, but I was able to hold off Sebastian [Rouault]. It feels really good to bring one home for Michigan. I thought everyone would be out a little faster but I just held on to it during the breast stroke and in the freestyle I left everything I had in the pool."
Contact: Jeremiah Hergott (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
