Michigan
Indiana
Michigan Rallies to Upend No. 5 Indiana at Canham
1/11/2020 3:27:00 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving
» Michigan rallied down the stretch to beat Indiana, handing the Hoosiers their first dual-meet loss in Big Ten competition in four years.
» Senior Tommy Cope won three events (100-yard breaststroke, 200-yard breaststroke, 200-yard IM), while junior Ricardo Vargas swept the distance events.
» Junior Luiz Gustavo Borges won the 50-yard freestyle, becoming the only swimmer in the field to break the 20-second barrier (19.75).
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Canham Natatorium)
Score: #3 Michigan 160, #5 Indiana 140
Records: U-M (4-1, 2-1 Big Ten), IU (6-3, 2-1 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Jan. 18 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 2 p.m.
• Complete Results (PDF) | Photo Gallery
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Behind some clutch wins down the stretch from members of its senior class, the No. 3-ranked University of Michigan men's swimming and diving team upended No. 5 Indiana, 160-140, in a matchup of top-five teams on Saturday (Jan. 11) at Canham Natatorium. The Wolverines avenged a loss earlier in the year to the Hoosiers (165-135 in Bloomington), while handing Indiana its first dual-meet loss in Big Ten competition since January 2016.
The Wolverines led most of the afternoon, but saw themselves behind after Indiana scored 31 points in the 100-yard freestyle and 200-yard backstroke out of the first break. Trailing 98-90, Michigan won the next four events and clinched the meet by the time the 400-yard freestyle relay began.
It started in the 200-yard breaststroke with senior Tommy Cope, who partnered with classmate Charlie Swanson on 1-2 finish (1:56.34, 1:58.97) that trimmed Indiana's lead to just one point. Michigan went back in front for good in the 500-yard freestyle, as junior Ricardo Vargas (4:21.85), sophomore Patrick Callan (4:22.84) and senior Felix Auböck (4:24.21) combined for 16 points with a 1-2-3 finish. Vargas began pulling away around the 250-yard mark and won comfortably, while Auböck stormed back on the last lap to take third, energizing the Michigan bench.
Senior Miles Smachlo fed off that energy, holding off Indiana's Brendan Burns by .16 seconds to win the 100-yard butterfly (46.84) and extend the lead to 131-114. The Wolverines put it away in the 200-yard IM behind Cope, who rallied on the back half to overtake Mohamed Samy for the win (1:45.61). Swanson was third (1:47.76) and freshman Danny Berlitz was fourth (1:49.57) to add crucial depth points. With diving results factored in, the Wolverines surpassed the 150-point threshold and secured the victory.
"More than anything, this meet was about the team coming together," said head coach Mike Bottom. "My message before to the team was that it was going to take everyone in order to beat a great team like Indiana, and we were able to do that. The atmosphere in here was incredible and definitely gave our team some energy."
The Wolverines won the 200-yard medley relay to open the meet, as the foursome of sophomore Eric Storms, Cope, Smachlo and junior Luiz Gustavo Borges touched first at 1:25.44. Storms led off in 21.90, staying close to Indiana backstroker Gabriel Fantoni, allowing Cope to put Michigan in the lead for good on the breaststroke leg. Smachlo padded the lead with a 20.70 split on butterfly.
Vargas took the 1,000-yard freestyle, touching nearly five seconds ahead of the field (9:01.82). Cope was the victor in the 100-yard breaststroke (53.28), combining with sophomore Will Chan (53.62) on a 1-2 finish. Borges won the 50-yard freestyle, becoming the only swimmer in the field to break the 20-second barrier (19.75).
Michigan got big contributions from its divers. Though Indiana won both springboard events, U-M went 2-3-4 in each, limiting any potential gains. Junior Ross Todd was second in both (332.55 on 1M, 379.65 on 3M), while senior Jake Herremans (3rd on 1M, 4th on 3M) and junior Chris Canning (3rd on 3M, 4th on 1M) filled in behind him.
Michigan will be back in the water next Saturday (Jan. 18) when it faces rival Ohio State in Columbus. The combined men's and women's dual meet will begin at 2 p.m.
Players Mentioned
