Season Review: 2018-19 Michigan Women's Swimming and Diving
5/24/2019 3:27:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving
• Team Captains: Katie Duggan, Siobhán Haughey
• Record: 8-0, 5-0 Big Ten Conference
• Big Ten Championships: Second Place
• NCAA Championships: Third Place
The University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team remained one of the best teams in college swimming in 2018-19. The Wolverines went undefeated in dual meets -- extending its unbeaten streak to 22 -- and took third at the NCAA Championships, tying for the second-highest finish in program history.
Team Highlights
• Michigan finished third at the NCAA Championships in March, its second consecutive top-four finish and second-highest finish ever. They are the third team in program history to record a top-three finish (1995: second; 1996: third). The Wolverines scored 314 points, the second-highest point total in program history. The finish marks a one-spot improvement over last year, giving the program back-to-back top-four finishes at the NCAA Championships for just the second time in its history (1995-96). Furthermore, it is the program's third consecutive top-10 finish, a feat least achieved from 1997-99.
• U-M had 14 All-America performances in individual events and relays, with another five coming in the consolation finals. It put all five of its relays on the podium at the NCAA Championships for the first time since 1998.
• The Wolverines finished second at the Big Ten Championships (1,302.5 points), winning the 50-, 100- and 200-yard freestyles and the 200-, 400- and 800-yard freestyle relays, the first sprint freestyle sweep for the program at Big Tens since 2005. It won seven individual or relay titles, and set nine school records and established 29 new career bests.
• Michigan went 8-0 in dual meets, notching its second consecutive unbeaten season. Heading into 2019-20, the Wolverines have won their last 22 dual meets.
• Twenty-four student-athletes received the U-M Athletic Academic Achievement Award, given to those who maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher. Of those 24, 16 were named Academic All-Big Ten.
• The program continues to re-set school records, breaking 10 more of them in 2018-19. In total, 15 of the program's 19 short course (yards) records were broken in the last two years.
Individual Highlights
• Senior Siobhán Haughey ended her illustrious career as one of the best to ever don a Maize and Blue cap. She was a six-time CSCAA All-American, winning bronze medals in the 100- and 200-yard freestyles, and was a five-time Big Ten champion, including wins in both those aforementioned events. For her career, Haughey was a 14-time All-American, 11-time All-America Honorable Mention and 15-time Big Ten champion. Following the college season, she was named the University of Michigan's female recipient of the Big Ten Medal of Honor, and ventured back to her native Hong Kong, where she earned qualifying times for the 2020 Olympics. [ Read: B1G Medal of Honor Winner Haughey Thrived in An Arbor in Every Way ]
• Freshman Maggie MacNeil roared onto the college swimming scene. She was a seven-time All-American -- finaling in all three of her individual events at the NCAA Championships -- and was a four-time Big Ten champion, winning titles in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly. She was the 2018-19 Big Ten Freshman of the Year. MacNeil ranks third in NCAA history in the 100-yard butterfly (49.59), and is ranked third in the world this year in the 100-meter butterfly (57.04). She will represent Canada at this summer's FINA World Championships.
• Senior Catie DeLoof, the third of four DeLoof sisters, was a six-time CSCAA All-American and three-time Big Ten champion in 2018-19. She had three top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships, taking sixth in the 200-yard freestyle, eighth in the 100-yard freestyle and 10th in the 50-yard freestyle. DeLoof ended her college career ranked second in both the 50- and 200-yard freestyles, and third in the 100-yard freestyle. She is slated to swim for the United States at this summer's World University Games.
• Sophomore Sierra Schmidt provided some speed in the longest events, earning the first two All-America honors of her career. She finished sixth in the 1,650-yard freestyle at the NCAA Championships -- reaching the podium out of an earlier heat -- and swam anchor on the team's 800-yard freestyle relay. Schmidt also finaled in all three of her events at the Big Ten Championships, finishing as high as fifth in the 1,650-yard freestyle. Like DeLoof, she will represent the United States at the World University Games.
• One of the most improved swimmers was senior Jamie Yeung, who individually qualified for her first (and final) NCAA Championships. She finished 10th in the 100-yard breaststroke, posting the second-fastest time in program history (59.04). Yeung also ended her college career ranked fourth in program history in the 200-yard breaststroke and eighth in the 200-yard IM.
• Sophomores Christy Cutshaw (platform) and Camryn McPherson (one-meter) qualified for the NCAA Championships. Michigan has sent at least two divers to the national meet in four consecutive years.
• Head coach Mike Bottom was named 2019 Big Ten Coach of the Year for Women's Swimming and Diving. It was his seventh Big Ten Coach of the Year honor, and his second consecutive year winning the award.
Honors and Awards
Siobhán
Haughey
Maggie
MacNeil
Catie
DeLoof
Sierra
Schmidt
Miranda
Tucker
Daria
Pyshnenko
CSCAA All-Americans
Catie DeLoof -- 200-yard Freestyle, 100-yard Freestyle
Siobhán Haughey -- 100-yard Freestyle, 200-yard Freestyle
Maggie MacNeil -- 100-yard Butterfly, 50-yard Freestyle, 100-yard Backstroke
Sierra Schmidt -- 1,650-yard Freestyle
Miranda Tucker -- 100-yard Breaststroke
200-yard Freestyle Relay -- Maggie MacNeil, Catie DeLoof, Siobhán Haughey, Daria Pyshnenko
400-yard Freestyle Relay -- Maggie MacNeil, Siobhán Haughey, Catie DeLoof, Daria Pyshnenko
800-yard Freestyle Relay -- Yirong Bi, Siobhán Haughey, Catie DeLoof, Sierra Schmidt
200-yard Medley Relay -- Taylor Garcia, Miranda Tucker, Maggie MacNeil, Catie DeLoof
400-yard Medley Relay -- Taylor Garcia, Miranda Tucker, Maggie MacNeil, Siobhán Haughey
CSCAA All-America Honorable Mentions
Yirong Bi -- 500-yard Freestyle, 1,650-yard Freestyle
Catie DeLoof -- 50-yard Freestyle
Sierra Schmidt -- 500-yard Freestyle
Jamie Yeung -- 100-yard Breaststroke
Big Ten Champions
Siobhán Haughey: 100-yard Freestyle, 200-yard Freestyle
Maggie MacNeil: 50-yard Freestyle, 100-yard Butterfly
200-yard Freestyle Relay: Maggie MacNeil, Catie DeLoof, Daria Pyshnenko, Siobhán Haughey
400-yard Freestyle Relay: Maggie MacNeil, Catie DeLoof, Daria Pyshnenko, Siobhán Haughey
800-yard Freestyle Relay: Yirong Bi, Becca Postoll, Siobhán Haughey, Catie DeLoof
Big Ten Awards
All-Big Ten (First Team): Yirong Bi, Catie DeLoof, Siobhán Haughey, Maggie MacNeil, Daria Pyshnenko, Becca Postoll
All-Big Ten (Second Team): Taylor Garcia, Vanessa Krause, Miranda Tucker
Big Ten Sportsmanship Honoree: Yirong Bi
Big Ten Freshman of the Year: Maggie MacNeil
Swimmer of the Week: Catie DeLoof (Oct. 3), Siobhán Haughey (Nov. 7, Jan. 23, Feb. 13)
Diver of the Week: Christy Cutshaw (Oct. 3), Nikki Canale (Dec. 5)
Freshman of the Week: Victoria Kwan (Oct. 3), Maggie MacNeil (Nov. 7, Nov. 14, Dec. 5, Jan. 9, Jan. 23, Feb. 13)
Academic All-Big Ten
Monica Babits, Jr., Biomolecular Science, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Yirong Bi, Sr., Business Administration, Hangzhou, China
Nikki Canale, So., Sport Management, Waxhaw, N.C.
Emma Cleason, So., Movement Science, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Christy Cutshaw, So., Biopsychology, Cognition & Neuroscience, Durham, N.C.
Katie Duggan, Sr., Industrial & Operations Engineering, Windermere, Fla.
Taylor Garcia, Sr., Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Holland, Mich.
Siobhán Haughey, Sr., Psychology, Hong Kong
Alex Hughes, So., Sport Management, Grosse Pointe, Mich.
Kate Krolikowski, So., Business Administration, Irvine, Calif.
Claire Maiocco, So., Cellular & Molecular Biology, Winter Park, Fla.
Margaret Rogers, So., Business Administration, Ridgefield, Conn.
Jacqui Schafer, Jr., Computer Science, Sydney, Australia
Sierra Schmidt, So., Film, Television & Media
Miranda Tucker, Sr., History of Art, Plymouth, Mich.
Jamie Yeung, Sr., Economics, Hong Kong
Players Mentioned
