Michigan
Big Ten Championships
Wolverine Women Snag Two Medals, Meet Lead After Night One at Big Tens
2/20/2019 8:18:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving
» Michigan won the 800-yard freestyle relay for the fourth consecutive season, posting the second-fastest time in the country (6:54.58). The Wolverines were in fourth after the first 200 yards and second at the halfway point, but got big splits from Siobhán Haughey (1:40.75) and Catie DeLoof (1:42.39).
» The foursome of Taylor Garcia, Miranda Tucker, Maggie MacNeil and Daria Pyshnenko took second in the 200-yard medley relay (1:34.98). They surpassed the old school record by more than a second and posted the third-fastest time in the nation.
Site: Bloomington, Ind. (Counsilman Billingsley Aquatic Center)
Event: Big Ten Championships (Day 1 of 4)
U-M Team Standing: 1st of 13 Teams (120 points)
Next U-M Event: Thursday, Feb. 21 -- at Big Ten Championships - Day Two (Bloomington, Ind.), 11 a.m./6:30 p.m.
• Complete Results (PDF) | Photo Gallery
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The No. 3-ranked University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team took home two relay medals -- including a win in the 800-yard freestyle relay -- to open the 2018 Big Ten Championships on Wednesday (Feb. 20) at the Counsilman Billingsley Aquatic Center. The Wolverines lead after one day (120 points).
"To start the way we did tonight gives us a lot of confidence to continue it through the week," said head coach Mike Bottom. "We had two excellent swims tonight, and that really fired everyone up. There's still a lot left in the tank, and they're excited to keep that going tomorrow."
The all-senior quartet of Yirong Bi, Becca Postoll, Siobhán Haughey and Catie DeLoof gave Michigan its fourth consecutive win in the 800-yard freestyle relay, but had to earn it. They were in fourth after the opening 200 yards and were .59 seconds behind Minnesota at the halfway point, who had stormed out to an early lead. But then Haughey dove in the water on the third leg and posted the fastest split of the race (1:40.75), chasing down Minnesota's Mackenzie Padington to hand the lead over to DeLoof on the anchor leg. She proceeded to split 1:42.39 and blew by Minnesota's Zoe Avestruz, securing a five-and-a-half second win (6:54.58).
Their time is Big Ten Championships record, pool record and was the second fastest time in the nation this season.
WIN! In fourth after the opening 200, the seniors go 6:54.58 to win the 800-yard freestyle relay for the fourth year in a row!
— Michigan Swimming & Diving (@umichswimdive) February 21, 2019
That's the second-fastest time in the nation this season! #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/9SuS2eGt9l
The Wolverines kicked off the meet with a second-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay, earning a bit of redemption after DQing the same event to open last year's meet. The foursome of senior Taylor Garcia, redshirt junior Miranda Tucker, freshman Maggie MacNeil and sophomore Daria Pyshnenko went 1:34.98, completely smashing the old school record of 1:36.06 that was set at the UGA Invitational back in November. It is also the third-fastest time in the country behind North Carolina State (1:34.26) and Indiana's winning time (1:34.71).
The Big Ten Championships kick into high gear with the first full day of competition Thursday (Feb. 21) at the Counsilman Billingsley Aquatic Center. Preliminaries begin at 11 a.m., with finals following at 6:30 p.m.
TEAM STANDINGS (After Day 1)
1. MICHIGAN 120
2. Indiana 114
3. Wisconsin 106
Minnesota 106
Ohio State 106
6. Purdue 94
7. Northwestern 82
8. Iowa 76
Penn State 76
10. Nebraska 74
11. Illinois 70
12. Michigan State 60
13. Rutgers 44
200-yard Medley Relay
1. Indiana 1:34.71*P (Morgan Scott, Lilly King Christine Jensen, Shelby Koontz) 2. U-M 1:34.98*M (Taylor Garcia, Miranda Tucker Maggie MacNeil, Daria Pyshnenko)
800-yard Freestyle Relay
1. U-M 6:54.58*%P (Yirong Bi, Becca Postoll Siobh·n Haughey, Catie DeLoof) * NCAA 'A' standard # NCAA 'B' standard ^ NCAA Zone Diving standard A American Record N NCAA Record B Big Ten Record % Big Ten Championships Record M University of Michigan Record P Pool Record
Players Mentioned
