Michigan
Big Ten Championships
Three-Peat Complete: Wolverines Repeat as Big Ten Champions
2/17/2018 10:16:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving
» Michigan won the Big Ten title for the third consecutive year, completing the program's first three-peat since the 1996-98 seasons.
» The 312.5-point margin of victory is the largest by any Big Ten team since 2011.
» Sophmore Vanessa Krause captured the 200-yard butterfly, setting Big Ten, Big Ten Championships and U-M records. She was one of four student-athletes to set school records on the final day of the meet along with Miranda Tucker (200-yard breaststroke), Clara Smiddy (200-yard backstroke) and Christy Cutshaw (platform diving).
» Four swimmers earned runner-up finishes on Saturday: Yirong Bi (1,650-yard freestyle), Clara Smiddy (200-yard backstroke), Siobhán Haughey (100-yard freestyle) and Miranda Tucker (200-yard breaststroke).
Site: Columbus, Ohio (McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion)
Event: Big Ten Championships (Day 4 of 4)
U-M Team Standing: 1st of 13 teams (1,465 points)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Feb. 25 -- at OSU Last Chance Meet (Columbus, Ohio), TBA
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Led by a record-breaking swim from sophomore Vanessa Krause, a meet-ending title in the 400-yard freestyle relay and four individual runner-up finishes, the No. 5-ranked University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team won its third consecutive conference crown at the Big Ten Championships on Saturday (Feb. 17) at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion. After starting the four-day meet with a disqualification on the opening relay, the Wolverines rallied each day and built up an insurmountable lead, culminating in 25 scoring performances on Saturday.
It is the program's first three-peat since the 1996-98 seasons. The Wolverines scored 1,465 points over the four days in Columbus, surpassing their total from each of the last two title-winning years (1,287 in 2017; 1,361 in 2016). Michigan's 312.5-point margin of victory is also the largest by any Big Ten team since 2011, when Indiana won by 243 points.
"It's easy to talk about team, to use the line, 'Hey, it was a team meet,'" said head coach Mike Bottom. "When you look at what happened today and throughout this meet -- the scorers, the divers, the relays -- everything from the top to the bottom was all about the team."
Krause saved her best swim for the last day, crushing Big Ten, Big Ten Championships and U-M records to win the 200-yard butterfly (1:53.44). She took it out fast and had no intentions of yielding any ground, touching first by over a second, automatically punching her ticket to next month's NCAA Championships. She is the first Michigan swimmer to win that event since Melissa Jaeger in 2008.
WATCH: Vanessa Krause obliterates Big Ten, Big Ten Championships and U-M records to win the 200-yard butterfly at the Big Ten Championships. #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/5LUH7rouDP
— Michigan Swimming & Diving (@umichswimdive) February 18, 2018
Following Krause in the 200-yard butterfly was freshman Sierra Schmidt in eighth (1:58.12), who qualified for the final out of the morning knowing she would swim the last heat of the 1,650-yard freestyle later in the day. Freshmen Emma Cleason (10th, 1:56.92) and Kate Krolikowski (13th, 1:58.02) scored points out of the consolation.
One of the storylines of the meet was Michigan's sheer brilliance in the freestyle events and it continued Saturday, as it placed four swimmers in a freestyle final for the second consecutive day. Junior Siobhán Haughey, winner of two events earlier in the meet, narrowly missed a third, as she took second in the 100-yard freestyle (47.54). Following her on the podium was Gabby DeLoof in third (48.01), junior Catie DeLoof in fourth (48.30) and Daria Pyshnenko in sixth (48.70). They are four of the six fastest 100-yard freestyle swimmers in school history.
Those four swimmers returned later in the evening and tacked a cherry on top of the clinched championship, when they won the 400-yard freestyle relay and set Big Ten, Big Ten Championships and U-M records (3:10.96). It is the second-fastest time in the nation this season, only .01 behind California.
Before the sprints, the distance crew took over and held three of the top spots in the 1,650-yard freestyle. Junior Yirong Bi capped a strong meet with a runner-up finish (15:51.18), while freshman Sierra Schmidt finished fourth with the fourth-fastest time in school history (15:54.39). Senior G Ryan, the defending Big Ten champion, took sixth (15:59.72). Junior Katie Duggan, who, like Schmidt, would pull double duty later on in the meet, placed 16th out of an earlier heat (16:34.04).
The breaststroke group continued to perform well, as six swimmers combined to score 100. After blowing away the school record in the 100-yard breaststroke yesterday, junior Miranda Tucker was at it again Saturday, this time in a second-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:06.59). Senior Emily Kopas joined her in the final, finishing fourth (2:08.37). Three others were in the consolation final, including senior Samantha Yeo (11th, 2:11.77), junior Jamie Yeung (12th, 2:12.42) and senior Carolyn McCann (13th, 2:12.62). Freshman Alex Hughes added a point in 24th (2:18.61).
Senior Clara Smiddy capped a remarkable career of Big Ten Championships swims by medaling in yet another race -- her 11th in 12 career events -- finishing runner-up in the 200-yard backstroke and lowering her previously held school record (1:50.63). The swim of the day that really got the team going to start the morning came from sophomore Jacqui Schafer, who cut two seconds off her previous career best to qualify for the final with the third-fastest time in school history (1:53.79). She went on to finish eighth in the final (1:55.03). Junior Taylor Garcia qualified for the consolation final, finishing 12th (1:55.18), while Duggan took 23rd (1:58.38).
Freshman Christy Cutshaw wrapped up an amazing run in the diving well, setting the school record in platform with an 11th-place finish (297.50). She originally posted a personal record in the preliminaries with the fifth-highest score in program history (277.15), then blew that away by 20 points in finals, ending her first Big Ten Championships having set PRs in all three diving events. Senior Dani VanderZwaag joined Cutshaw in the consolation, finishing 15th (233.25). Freshman Nikki Canale also added a point with a 24th-place finish (234.80).
"I'm incredibly proud of all three of them," said diving coach Mike Hilde, whose trio of divers accumulated 104 points toward the team total this week. "I think it starts with the leadership that Dani provides, showing the freshmen what it takes to be successful at big meets like these. It was a great learning experience for Christy and Nikki and they are only going to continue to get better. They embraced the training and peaked at the right time."
Select swimmers looking to improve their times for potential NCAA Championships qualification will return to the pool next Sunday (Feb. 25) at the OSU Last Chance Meet in Columbus, Ohio. The three divers will look to qualify for the NCAA Championships at the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships, held March 8-10, also in Columbus.
TEAM STANDINGS
1. MICHIGAN 1,465 2. Indiana 1,152.5 3. Ohio State 1,094.5 4. Minnesota 1,049 5. Wisconsin 755 6. Purdue 693 7. Northwestern 528 8. Penn State 418 9. Rutgers 386 10. Nebraska 358 11. Iowa 338 12. Illinois 187 13. Michigan State 1721,650-yard Freestyle
1. Allyson McHugh, PSU 15:43.34*B! 2. Yirong Bi, U-M 15:51.18* 4. Sierra Schmidt, U-M 15:54.39# 6. G Ryan, U-M 15:59.72# 16. Katie Duggan, U-M 16:34.04200-yard Backstroke
1. Beata Nelson, UW 1:49.59*^B! 2. Clara Smiddy, U-M 1:50.63*M 8. Jacqui Schafer, U-M 1:55.03# (1:53.79#) 12. Taylor Garcia, U-M 1:55.18# 23. Katie Duggan, U-M 1:58.38# (1:57.91#) T25. Becca Postoll, U-M 1:58.29# (1:57.57S)100-yard Freestyle
1. Liz Li, OSU 47.43* 2. Siobhán Haughey, U-M 47.54# 3. Gabby DeLoof, U-M 48.01# (47.86#) 4. Catie DeLoof, U-M 48.30# (48.27#) 6. Daria Pyshnenko, U-M 48.70# 43. Claire Maiocco, U-M 50.66200-yard Breaststroke
1. Lilly King, IU 2:04.68* 2. Miranda Tucker, U-M 2:06.59*M 4. Emily Kopas, U-M 2:08.37# 11. Samantha Yeo, U-M 2:11.77# 12. Jamie Yeung, U-M 2:12.42# (2:12.11#) 13. Carolyn McCann, U-M 2:12.62# (2:12.26#) 24. Alex Hughes, U-M 2:18.61 (2:14.84#) 32. Annalisa Perez, U-M 2:16.80200-yard Butterfly
1. Vanessa Krause, U-M 1:53.44*MB! 8. Sierra Schmidt, U-M 1:58.12# (1:55.99#) 10. Emma Cleason, U-M 1:56.92# 13. Kate Krolikowski, U-M 1:58.02# 37. Alexis Margett, U-M 2:03.41Platform Diving
1. Jessica Parratto, IU 378.15 11. Christy Cutshaw, U-M 297.50^M (277.15^) 15. Dani VanderZwaag, U-M 233.25^ (257.65^) 24. Nikki Canale, U-M 234.80^400-yard Freestyle Relay
1. Michigan 3:10.96*MB! (Catie DeLoof, Siobhán Haughey, Daria Pyshnenko, Gabby DeLoof) S Swim-Off * NCAA A # NCAA B ^ NCAA Zone Diving cut M School Record B Big Ten Record ! Big Ten Championships Record
MICHIGAN BIG TEN CHAMPIONS (6)
Siobhán Haughey (2): 200-yard Freestyle, 200-yard IM
Yirong Bi (1): 500-yard Freestyle
Vanessa Krause (1): 200-yard Butterfly
400-yard Freestyle Relay: Catie DeLoof, Siobhán Haughey, Daria Pyshnenko, Gabby DeLoof
800-yard Freestyle Relay:Yirong Bi, Gabby DeLoof, Catie DeLoof, G Ryan
BIG TEN AWARD WINNERS
Swimmer of the Championships: Beata Nelson, Wisconsin
Co-Divers of the Championships: Sarah Bacon, Minnesota; Olivia Rosendahl, Northwestern
Freshman of the Year: Kristen Romano, Ohio State
U-M Sportsmanship Award Honoree: G Ryan
2017-18 MICHIGAN ALL-BIG TEN SELECTIONS
First Team: Yirong Bi, Gabby DeLoof, Catie DeLoof, Siobhán Haughey, Vanessa Krause, Daria Pyshnenko, G Ryan
Second Team: Clara Smiddy, Miranda Tucker
CAREER BESTS
1650 Freestyle -- Sierra Schmidt (15:54.39 -- 4th at U-M)
200 Backstroke -- Clara Smiddy (1:50.63 -- 1st at U-M)
200 Backstroke -- Jacqui Schafer (1:53.79 -- 3rd at U-M)
200 Backstroke -- Taylor Garcia (1:55.18 -- 7th at U-M)
200 Backstroke -- Katie Duggan (1:57.91)
100 Freestyle -- Gabby DeLoof (47.86 -- 3rd at U-M)
100 Freestyle -- Catie DeLoof (48.27 -- 4th at U-M)
100 Freestyle -- Daria Pyshnenko (48.70 -- 6th at U-M)
100 Freestyle -- Claire Maiocco (50.66)
200 Breaststroke -- Samantha Yeo (2:11.77 -- 9th at U-M)
200 Breaststroke -- Jamie Yeung (2:12.11)
200 Breaststroke -- Alex Hughes (2:14.84)
200 Butterfly -- Vanessa Krause (1:53.44 -- 1st at U-M)
200 Butterfly -- Sierra Schmidt (1:55.99 -- 3rd at U-M)
200 Butterfly -- Kate Krolikowski (1:58.02 -- 9th at U-M)
Platform -- Christy Cutshaw (297.50 -- 1st at U-M)
Platform -- Nikki Canale (234.80)
Players Mentioned
