Michigan
Orange Bowl Classic
U-M Wins Orange Bowl Classic to Cap Training Trip
1/3/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving
Jan. 3, 2017
» Vinny Tafuto (50-meter butterfly, 100-meter butterfly) and Jacob Montague (50-meter breaststroke, 100-meter breaststroke) each won two events.
» Other individual winners included Cameron Stitt (400-meter freestyle), James Jones (100-meter freestyle), Paul Powers (50-meter freestyle), Tristan Sanders (100-meter backstroke) and Tommy Cope (200-meter IM).
Site: Key Largo, Fla. (Jacobs Aquatic Center)
Event: Orange Bowl Classic
U-M Team Standing: 1st Place of 4 Teams (275 points)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Jan. 13 -- at Indiana (Bloomington, Ind.), 2 p.m.
KEY LARGO, Fla. -- The No. 13-ranked University of Michigan men'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 finished with 275 points -- ahead of Texas A&M (183), George Mason (48) and Middlebury College (12).
"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 11 of 12 events, all of which were held in short-course meters. Senior Vinny Tafuto continued his strong run as the team's top sprint butterflyer, winning the 50-meter butterfly (23.79, a new meet record) and the 100-meter butterfly (53.86). Freshman Miles Smachlo finished second in both (24.60, 53.95), giving the team another option in that event heading into second half of the season.
The Wolverines showcased their depth in the breaststroke events, going 1-2-3 in the 50-meter and 100-meter races. The team's finishes were identical in both events, as freshman Jacob Montague won both (28.35, 1:01.28), followed by senior Chris Klein (28.46, 1:02.43) and freshman Tommy Cope (28.69, 1:02.86). Cope picked up a win in the 200-meter IM (2:03.13), touching the wall nearly two-and-a-half seconds ahead of the field.
Michigan had three different winners in the freestyle events, highlighted by a 1-2-4-5 finish in the 400-meter freestyle from senior Cameron Stitt (3:57.88), senior Jack Mangan (3:58.55), sophomore Mokhtar Al-Yamani (4:01.44) and freshman Charlie Swanson (4:01.76). Freshman James Jones (50.43) and junior Paul Powers (50.76) went a close 1-2 finish in the 100-meter freestyle and nearly swapped places in the 50-meter freestyle, with Powers tying for first (22.53) and Jones taking third (23.19).
Junior Tristan Sanders won the 100-meter backstroke and set a meet record (54.07), out-touching Texas A&M's Brock Bonetti by two-tenths. Sanders also finished second in the 50-meter backstroke (25.42), the only event of the day that Michigan did not win.
U-M also won both the 200-meter medley relay (1:38.97) and 200-meter freestyle relay (1:30.38).
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
