Michigan
Orange Bowl Classic
U-M Aces Orange Bowl Classic to Conclude Training Trip
1/3/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Jan. 3, 2017
» Multi-event winners included Siobhán Haughey (100-meter freestyle, 200-meter IM), Vanessa Krause (50-meter butterfly, 100-meter butterfly), Clara Smiddy (50-meter backstroke, 100-meter backstroke) and Emily Kopas (50-meter breaststroke, 100-meter breaststroke).
» Yirong Bi won the 400-meter freestyle by nearly four seconds (4:10.80).
Site: Key Largo, Fla. (Jacobs Aquatic Center)
Event: Orange Bowl Classic
U-M Team Standing: 1st of 6 Teams (292.5 points)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Jan. 13 -- at Indiana (Bloomington, Ind.), 2 p.m.
KEY LARGO, Fla. -- The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team ended its 2017 training trip with a first-place finish in the Orange Bowl Classic, held Tuesday morning (Jan. 3) at the Jacobs Aquatic Center. The Wolverines accumulated 292.5 points, finishing ahead of Florida International (105), Duquesne (37), George Mason (37), Northeastern (36.5) and Middlebury College (10).
"Both of our teams were really right on, swimming and racing well," said head coach Mike Bottom. "Our goals this week were to make changes, get better at details and to race. We wanted our student-athletes to look at the person next to them and get their hand on the wall first. We did that more times than not. Now, we did lose a few close ones that I think we could've won if there was more urgency, but that's not something that comes naturally -- it's something that's practiced."
U-M won all 12 events, setting nine new meet records. The Wolverines dominated the freestyle events, going 1-2-3 with a different winner in each of the three distances. Sophomore Yirong Bi won the 400-meter freestyle by nearly four seconds (4:10.80), while sisters Gabby DeLoof (26.22) and Catie DeLoof (26.34) had a close 1-2 finish in the 50-meter freestyle. Sophomore Siobhán Haughey won the 100-meter freestyle (55.25) and the 200-meter IM (2:17.14). All three swimmers set meet records.
Freshman Vanessa Krause picked up a couple of wins, setting meet records in both the 50-meter butterfly (27.84) and 100-meter butterfly (1:00.92). Junior Clara Smiddy also won a pair of events, touching first in the 50-meter backstroke (29.15) and 100-meter backstroke (1:01.39). Freshman Jacqui Schafer followed Smiddy in both events (29.88, 1:03.53).
Junior Emily Kopas looked very strong in the breaststrokes, establishing new meet records in both the 50-meter breaststroke (31.93) and 100-meter breaststroke (1:09.37). The latter event was the best of the day for Michigan, as it went 1-2-3-T4 behind Kopas, Bi (1:10.42), sophomore Jamie Yeung (1:12.99) and senior Madison Horton (1:13.11).
The Wolverines also won both the 200-meter medley relay (1:53.45) and 200-meter freestyle relay (1:42.94), the latter of which came by nearly four seconds.
The Wolverines are back in the pool next Friday (Jan. 13) for a road meeting with Big Ten rival Indiana. The meet will begin at 2 p.m. in Bloomington.
Communications Contact: Brad Rudner
Players Mentioned
