Michigan
NCAA Championships
Wolverines Finish Eighth at NCAA Championships
3/24/2018 9:58:00 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving
» Michigan finished eighth in the team race, returning to the top 10 for the first time since 2015. It is the program's 28th top-10 finish in 32 seasons.
» Three swimmers made the podium in the 1,650-yard freestyle, led by Felix Auböck, who took second for the second year in a row. PJ Ransford, in his final collegiate swim, took sixth, while Ricardo Vargas was seventh.
» Tommy Cope set a school record in the 200-yard breaststroke during the morning preliminaries (1:51.87), finishing seventh in finals.
Site: Minneapolis, Minn. (Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center)
Event: NCAA Championships (Day 4 of 4)
U-M Team Standing: Eighth Place (168.5 points)
Next U-M Event: Season Concluded
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Three swimmers made the podium in the 1,650-yard freestyle for the first time in five years -- led by another runner-up finish from sophomore Felix Auböck -- as the University of Michigan men's swimming and diving team closed out the NCAA Championships in eighth place (168.5 points) on Saturday (March 24) at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center. Texas won the team title (449 points).
The four-day meet in Minneapolis was redemption for the Wolverines, as they returned to the top eight of the team standings after a two-year hiatus. They more than doubled their point total from last year (82 points) to secure its 28th top-10 finish in the last 32 seasons.
Michigan was able to do it behind one of the largest rosters at the meet and proved its team-first mentality once again, as 15 student-athletes scored points either individually or on a relay. Over the four days, the Wolverines put five individuals and one relay on the podium, while eight swimmers and three relays scored additional points in consolation finals.
"To finish in the top eight is an honor we don't take for granted," said head coach Mike Bottom. "We had to battle for every point, right down to the last relay. I'm very proud of this team and the fight they showed all season long, and for the leadership provided by our seniors along the way."The Michigan distance program was on display to open the session, putting three swimmers on the podium in the 1,650-yard freestyle for first time since 2013 (Connor Jaeger, Sean Ryan, Ryan Feeley). Auböck, last year's runner-up, took those honors again this year (14:29.42), fighting eventual winner Anton Ipsen (NC State) for most of the race before falling off pace over the last 300 yards. Senior PJ Ransford, in his final collegiate swim, posted the top time out of the afternoon heats and finished sixth (14:38.23), while freshman Ricardo Vargas was behind in seventh (14:40.27).
Sophomore Tommy Cope put an exclamation point on his week with a seventh-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke (1:52.84). His time in preliminaries set a school record (1:51.87), well under the old time of 1:52.60 set by Richard Funk in 2015. Sophomore Jacob Montague scored points in the consolation final for the second year in a row, with a 13th overall (1:54.72) finish. Sophomore Charlie Swanson just missed the consolation final, taking 18th (1:54.59), with sophomore Jeremy Babinet behind in 25th (1:55.14).
The Wolverines ended the meet and cemented their position in the standings with a 13th-place finish (2:50.06) in the 400-yard freestyle relay behind senior Paul Powers, freshman Luiz Gustavo Borges, sophomore James Jones and graduate student James Peek.
Sophomore Miles Smachlo came into the meet seeded 25th in the 200-yard butterfly, but dropped enough time to take the last spot of the consolation final, adding a point and finishing 16th with the fifth-fastest time in school history (1:42.03). Senior Evan White took 32nd (1:44.05).
Earlier in the morning, Powers was 24th in the 100-yard freestyle (42.64), while junior Mokhtar Al-Yamani won his heat and finished 32nd (43.33).
Freshman Ross Todd capped one of the most successful seasons by a Michigan diver in recent history, finishing 25th on platform (308.90)
ALL-AMERICANS
Felix Auböck -- 500-yard Freestyle (2nd), 1,650-yard Freestyle (2nd)
Tommy Cope -- 200-yard Breaststroke (7th)
PJ Ransford -- 1,650-yard Freestyle (6th)
Charlie Swanson -- 400-yard IM (6th)
Ricardo Vargas -- 500-yard Freestyle (8th), 1,650-yard Freestyle (7th)
200-yard Freestyle Relay -- Paul Powers, Luiz Gustavo Borges, James Jones, James Peek (8th)
ALL-AMERICA HONORABLE MENTIONS
Felix Auböck -- 200-yard Freestyle (16th)
Jeremy Babinet -- 100-yard Breaststroke (T-14th)
Tommy Cope -- 200-yard IM (15th)
Jacob Montague -- 100-yard Breaststroke (16th), 200-yard Breaststroke (13th)
Paul Powers -- 50-yard Freestyle (15th)
PJ Ransford -- 500-yard Freestyle (12th)
Miles Smachlo -- 200-yard Butterfly (16th)
Evan White -- 200-yard IM (14th), 100-yard Butterfly (15th)
400-yard Freestyle Relay -- Paul Powers, Luiz Gustavo Borges, James Jones, James Peek (13th)
800-yard Freestyle Relay -- Mokhtar Al-Yamani, Felix Auböck, Ricardo Vargas, Tristan Sanders (13th)
200-yard Medley Relay -- James Peek, Tommy Cope*, James Jones**, Paul Powers (11th)
* Replaced Jacob Montague
** Replaced Evan White
TEAM STANDINGS
1. Texas 449 2. California 437.5 3. Indiana 422 4. NC State 385 5. Florida 347 6. USC 253 7. Stanford 205 8. MICHIGAN 168.5 9. Louisville 156 10. Georgia 1291,650-yard Freestyle
1. Anton Ipsen, NC State 14:24.43 2. Felix Auböck, U-M 14:29.42 6. PJ Ransford, U-M 14:38.23 7. Ricardo Vargas, U-M 14:40.27100-yard Freestyle
1. Caeleb Dressel, Florida 39.90AN 24. Paul Powers, U-M 42.64 32. Mokhtar Al-Yamani, U-M 43.33200-yard Breaststroke
1. Ian Finnerty, Indiana 1:50.17 7. Tommy Cope, U-M 1:52.84 (1:51.87M) 13. Jacob Montague, U-M 1:54.72 (1:54.02) 18. Charlie Swanson, U-M 1:54.59 23. Jeremy Babinet, U-M 1:55.14200-yard Butterfly
1. Andreas Vazaios, NC State 1:38.60 16. Miles Smachlo, U-M 1:42.03 32. Evan White, U-M 1:44.05Platform Diving
1. Colin Zeng, Tennessee 466.35 25. Ross Todd, U-M 308.90400-yard Freestyle Relay
1. NC State 2:44.13AN (Ryan Held, Justin Ress Jacob Molacek, Coleman Stewart) 13. MICHIGAN 2:50.06 (Paul Powers, Luiz Gustavo Borges James Jones, James Peek)A American Record
N NCAA Record
B Big Ten Record
M University of Michigan Record
Players Mentioned
