Michigan
Georgia Fall Invitational
Auböck, Divers Lead Michigan to Open UGA Fall Invite
12/1/2017 9:02:00 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving
» Felix Auböck cruised to a win in the 500-yard freestyle, posting the No. 2 time in the NCAA so far this season (4:12.02).
» Ross Todd (377.40) and Jake Herremans (367.50) went 1-2 on the three-meter springboard.
» The 200-yard freestyle relay team of Paul Powers, Luiz Gustavo Borges, James Jones and James Peek got an NCAA "A" time and came within two-tenths of a second of breaking the school record.
Site: Athens, Ga. (Gabrielsen Natatorium)
Event: UGA Fall Invitational -- Day 1 of 3
U-M Team Standing: 2nd of 6 teams (298 points)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Dec. 2 -- at UGA Fall Invitational, Day Two (Athens, Ga.), 9:30 a.m./5 p.m.
ATHENS, Ga. -- Sophomore Felix Auböck and freshman Ross Todd collected individual victories to pace the No. 4-ranked University of Michigan men's swimming and diving team on the opening day of the UGA Fall Invitational, held Friday (Dec. 1) at Gabrielsen Natatorium. The Wolverines sit in second place (298 points), just 10 behind California (308).
"Overall, it was a great evening," said head coach Mike Bottom. "We feel pretty good about some of our guys getting drawn into NCAAs based on their performances tonight. Some small mistakes were made that cost us some times and places, but we're here to learn and get better. Look forward to continuing that tomorrow."
Auböck was one of three swimmers in the final of the 500-yard freestyle and absolutely cruised, touching first by more than four seconds (4:12.02). His time is the second-fastest in the NCAA this season behind Stanford's Grant Shoults. Finishing behind Auböck were senior PJ Ransford in fourth (4:16.43) and freshman Ricardo Vargas in fifth (4:16.50).
Todd and teammate Jake Herremans were superb on the three-meter springboard, posting a 1-2 finish. Todd scored 377.40, while Herremans put up 367.50, a new career-best score.
The sprinters looked sharp in both individual events and on the 200-yard freestyle relay, where the old school record nearly fell. The foursome of Paul Powers (19.22), Luiz Gustavo Borges (19.18), James Jones (19.36) and James Peek (18.89) combined to go 1:16.65, an NCAA "A" cut that came within two-tenths of the school record (1:16.42), set by Zack Turk, Miguel Ortiz, Sean Fletcher and Bruno Ortiz from the NCAA title-winning squad in 2013.
Individually, all four put up fantastic midseason swims in the 50-yard freestyle, led by Powers, who took third (19.21). Borges and Peek also made the final -- finishing seventh and eighth, respectively -- but had faster times in the morning. Peek went 19.30 (No. 3 in school history), while Borges went 19.43, surpassing his father, Gustavo Borges (1992-95), to No. 7 on the all-time list.
Five of the seven men who received second swims in the 200-yard IM improved their times from the morning, none more than sophomore Jacob Montague. Though he didn't qualify for the final, he shaved nearly two seconds of time to win the consolation in 1:43.75, which would've been good enough for fourth. That place went to Evan White (1:44.24), joined in the final by sophomore Tommy Cope, who was sixth (1:44.99).
The 400-yard medley relay team of Tristan Sanders, Montague, Miles Smachlo and Powers ended the night with a fourth-place finish (3:08.14).
The UGA Fall Invitational continues Saturday (Dec. 2). Preliminaries begin at 9:30 a.m. with finals following at 5 p.m.
NCAA QUALIFYING TIMES/SCORES
Preliminaries - p
200-yard Freestyle Relay
A -- 1:16.65 (Paul Powers, Luiz Gustavo Borges, James Jones, James Peek)
400-yard Medley Relay
B -- 3:08.14 (Tristan Sanders, Jacob Montague, Miles Smachlo, Paul Powers)
500-yard Freestyle
A -- Felix Auböck, 4:12.02
B -- PJ Ransford, 4:16.43
B -- Ricardo Vargas, 4:16.50
B -- Stephen Holmquist, 4:23.20
200-yard IM
B -- Jacob Montague, 1:43.75
B -- Evan White, 1:44.24
B -- Tommy Cope, 1:44.45p
B -- Charlie Swanson, 1:44.68
B -- Miles Smachlo, 1:45.41
B -- Tristan Sanders, 1:48.49p
B -- Rob Zofchak, 1:48.61
50-yard Freestyle
B -- Paul Powers, 19.21
B -- James Peek, 19.30p (No. 3 at U-M)
B -- Luiz Gustavo Borges, 19.43p (No. 7 at U-M)
B -- James Jones, 19.86p
Three-Meter Diving
Ross Todd, 377.40p
Jake Herremans, 367.50
100-yard Backstroke
B -- Tristan Sanders, 47.74
Players Mentioned
