Michigan
Big Ten Championships
Auböck, Distance Crew Lead Michigan on Day Two of Big Tens
2/28/2019 9:37:00 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving
» After two days of action, Michigan sits in second place (490 points). Indiana leads in the team race (544 points).
» Junior Felix Auböck won the 500-yard freestyle for the third consecutive year, leading a 1-2-3-6-7 U-M finish in the final. All eight swimmers in the event got second swims, combining for 153 points.
» Sophomore Luiz Gustavo Borges came within .01 seconds of winning the 50-yard freestyle, settling for silver in a tight finish (19.12).
Site: Iowa City, Iowa (Campus Recreation and Wellness Center)
Event: Big Ten Championships (Day 2 of 4)
U-M Team Standing: 2nd of 13 Teams (490 points)
Next U-M Event: Friday, March 1 -- at Big Ten Championships - Day Three (Iowa City, Iowa), 11 a.m. CST/6:30 p.m. CST
• Complete Results (PDF) | Photo Gallery
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Junior Felix Auböck won the 500-yard freestyle for the third consecutive year and was one of nine swimmers to reach final heats, leading the University of Michigan men's swimming and diving team on the second day of the Big Ten Championships on Thursday (Feb. 28) at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center. Auböck was one of 19 student-athletes to score points on the second day, as the Wolverines sit in second place (490 points) in the team race behind Indiana (544 points).
"Nobody expected us to be in this spot except us," said head coach Mike Bottom. "We're seeing some great performances and you can tell everybody on this team is fighting like hell for Michigan. It was a great day for us. We're absolutely in the fight."
The Wolverines kicked off the meet with sheer dominance in the 500-yard freestyle, returning all eight swimmers for finals, scoring a combined 153 points. Five of those swimmers were in the final heat, led by Auböck, who captured the win for the third consecutive year and dropped almost six seconds from the morning's preliminaries (4:09.37). He is the fifth man in program history to win the event three times, joining Matt Patton (2007-09), Peter Vanderkaay (2003-06), Chris Thompson (1998-2001) and Bill Farley (1964-66).
U-M went 1-2-3 in the event for the second consecutive year, as sophomore Ricardo Vargas (4:11.72) and freshman Patrick Callan (4:12.53) finished close behind Auböck. Others posting big drops to make the final heat included sophomore Will Roberts in sixth (4:19.35) and senior Mokhtar Al-Yamani in seventh (4:21.36). Freshman Bora Unalmis had a nice debut and finished 16th out of the consolation final (4:21.66), while senior Stephen Holmquist (17th, 4:21.70) and sophomore Dylan Boyd (24th, 4:28.67) were in the bonus final.
WATCH: Felix Auböck wins the 500-yard freestyle for the third year in a row, leading FIVE distance swimmers in the final heat at the Big Ten Championships. #GoBlue #MichiganDistance pic.twitter.com/dRIqdpCfKp
— Michigan Swimming & Diving (@umichswimdive) March 1, 2019
Sophomore Luiz Gustavo Borges came within .01 seconds of winning the 50-yard freestyle, nearly matching his career best for a silver medal (19.12). Junior Miles Smachlo shaved off some time in the bonus final, finishing 19th (19.72).
The Wolverines had three swimmers in the final of the 200-yard IM, and all five -- all juniors -- dropped time with their second swims. Charlie Swanson led the way in fifth (1:43.33), followed by Tommy Cope in sixth (1:43.37) and Jacob Montague in seventh (1:44.06). Jeremy Babinet moved up a few spots to take 13th (1:45.02), while Rob Zofchak was 18th (1:45.13).
The divers got into the action on Thursday and all four scored on the one-meter springboard, contributing 35 points toward the team total. Two made the consolation final, as junior Jake Herremans finished 13th (341.10) and sophomore Chris Canning took 14th (335.10 -- the program's second-best score at a postseason meet since 2005). Sophomore Ross Todd (20th, 305.50) and redshirt junior Collin DeShaw (23rd, 298.55) added a few points each in the bonus final. It marked a solid start to the week for the divers, who scored 20 points on the second day last season.
Michigan closed the night with the 400-yard medley relay and went with the same foursome as Wednesday night when it won the 200-yard medley relay. Redshirt sophomore Alex King, freshman Will Chan, Smachlo and Borges finished second (3:04.90), coming within .17 seconds of the school record (3:04.73 from 2013). Of note was King's split on the backstroke leg to open the relay (46.40), which is now fourth fastest in program history.
The Big Ten Championships continue Friday (March 1) in Iowa City, Iowa, with preliminaries at 11 a.m. CST and finals at 6:30 p.m. CST.
CAREER BESTS
500-yard Freestyle -- Patrick Callan (4:12.53 -- No. 7 at U-M)
500-yard Freestyle -- Will Roberts (4:18.08)
500-yard Freestyle -- Mokhtar Al-Yamani (4:19.84)
500-yard Freestyle -- Bora Unalmis (4:21.66)
500-yard Freestyle -- Stephen Holmquist (4:21.70)
200-yard IM -- Jeremy Babinet (1:45.02)
200-yard IM -- Rob Zofchak (1:45.13)
50-yard Freestyle -- Miles Smachlo (19.72)
One-Meter Diving -- Chris Canning (335.10 -- No. 2 at U-M)
100-yard Backstroke -- Alex King (46.40 -- No. 4 at U-M)
TEAM STANDINGS (After Day 2)
1. Indiana 544 2. MICHIGAN 490 3. Ohio State 375 4. Purdue 303 5. Minnesota 259 6. Iowa 235 7. Penn State 233 8. Wisconsin 211 9. Northwestern 157 10. Michigan State 105
500-yard Freestyle
1. Felix Auböck, U-M 4:09.37*P 2. Ricardo Vargas, U-M 4:11.72* 3. Patrick Callan, U-M 4:12.53# 6. Will Roberts, U-M 4:19.35# (4:18.08#) 7. Mokhtar Al-Yamani, U-M 4:21.36# (4:19.84#) 16. Bora Unalmis, U-M 4:21.66# 17. Stephen Holmquist, U-M 4:21.70# 24. Dylan Boyd, U-M 4:28.67 (4:24.61)
200-yard IM
1. Vini Lanza, IU 1:41.05*% 5. Charlie Swanson, U-M 1:43.33# 6. Tommy Cope, U-M 1:43.37# 7. Jacob Montague, U-M 1:44.06# 13. Jeremy Babinet, U-M 1:45.02# 18. Rob Zofchak, U-M 1:45.13#
50-yard Freestyle
1. Bowen Becker, MINN 19.11# 2. Luiz Gustavo Borges, U-M 19.12# 19. Miles Smachlo, U-M 19.72# 35. Will Chan, U-M 20.07 T-39. James Jones, U-M 20.22 79. Mason Hunter, U-M 25.02 80. AJ Bornstein, U-M 25.67
One-Meter Diving
1. James Conner, IU 467.60^ 13. Jake Herremans, U-M 341.10^ 14. Chris Canning, U-M 335.10^ 20. Ross Todd, U-M 305.50^ 23. Collin DeShaw, U-M 298.55
400-yard Medley Relay
1. Indiana 3:01.63* (Gabriel Fantoni, Ian Finnerty, Vini Lanza, Zach Apple) 2. MICHIGAN 3:04.90* (Alex King, Will Chan Miles Smachlo, Luiz Gustavo Borges) * 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
