Wolverines Make History on Opening Night of NCAA Championships

Wednesday, March 15

Indianapolis, Ind.

6:00 PM

Michigan

NCAA Championships

Wolverines Make History on Opening Night of NCAA Championships

3/15/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving

March 15, 2017

» The foursome of Gabby DeLoof, Yirong Bi, Siobhán Haughey and G Ryan took third in the 800-yard freestyle relay (6:53.63) to open the NCAA Championships -- the program's highest-ever finish in that event.
» Prior to Wednesday, Michigan's last NCAA All-America relay came in 2007.
» Gabby DeLoof split 1:43.27 to open the race, the second-fastest 200-yard freestyle time in school history, while Siobhán Haughey split 1:41.81 on the third leg, the fastest of the four.

• Day 1 Photos | Championships Central

Site: Indianapolis, Ind. (IUPUI Natatorium)
Event: NCAA Championships (Day 1 of 4)
U-M Team Standing: 3rd Place of 24 Teams (32 points) after Day 1
Next U-M Event: Thursday, March 16 -- at NCAA Championships (Indianapolis, Ind.), 10 a.m./6 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team threw down a historic performance in the 800-yard freestyle relay to open the NCAA Championships on Wednesday (March 15) at IUPUI Natatorium. The foursome of Gabby DeLoof, Yirong Bi, Siobhán Haughey and G Ryan finished third at 6:53.63 -- the program's best finish in that event -- and became the first Michigan relay to earn NCAA All-America honors in any of the five relays in 10 years.

"What a way to start this meet," said head coach Mike Bottom. "Everyone on our team wants to score points for the team. There's an understanding of that. Tonight, all four of those swimmers did what they wanted to do. I think Clara Smiddy hit it right on the head in our pre-meet huddle. She said, 'When you doubt yourself, remember who you are swimming for.' That ignited us."

Tweet of the Day

What a swim! Our highest finish ever! #goblue pic.twitter.com/7XvtOULRQO

-- Michigan Swim & Dive (@umichswimdive) March 15, 2017

The Wolverines lowered their previously held Big Ten and U-M records on Wednesday, going nearly two seconds faster than last month at the Big Ten Championships (6:55.34). DeLoof split 1:43.27 on the opening leg -- a PR by nearly a second -- further cementing her No. 2 spot on the school's all-time list. Haughey went 1:41.81 on the third leg, putting Michigan in a position to challenge for a top-three spot.

The 800-yard freestyle relay was the program's strongest all season. The team's third-place finish represents a huge jump after finishing 14th in 2015 and 11th in 2016.

The program had not finished on the podium in this event since 2004 (seventh). Prior to Wednesday, Michigan's last NCAA All-America relay came in 2007 (400-yard freestyle relay, 200-yard medley relay).

The NCAA Championships kick into gear tomorrow (Thursday, March 16) at IUPUI Natatorium. Preliminaries begin at 10 a.m. with finals to follow at 6 p.m. One-meter diving begins at 12:30 p.m.

Team Standings (After Day 1)

  1. Stanford               40  2. California             34  3. MICHIGAN               32  4. Texas                  30  5. Virginia               28  6. Kentucky               26  7. Georgia                24  8. Louisville             22  9. Texas A&M              18 10. Wisconsin              14

Event Winners/U-M Finishers (Day 1)
Preliminaries time in parentheses if faster than finals time

800-yard Freestyle Relay  1. Stanford                           6:45.91NAP    (Simone Manuel, Lia Neal,     Ella Eastin, Katie Ledecky)  3. Michigan                           6:53.63M    (Gabby DeLoof, Yirong Bi,     Siobhán Haughey, G Ryan) A American RecordB Big Ten RecordM School RecordN NCAA RecordP Pool Record

Communications Contact: Brad Rudner