Michigan
Big Ten Championships
Auböck, Todd Capture Big Ten Titles as Wolverines Build Sizable Lead
2/27/2020 9:39:00 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving
» After two days, Michigan is in the lead at the Big Ten Championships (555 points). Of the 18 Wolverines to score in individual events on Thursday, 17 were in A or B finals.
» Ross Todd became the fifth man in program history to win the Big Ten title on one-meter. The last Michigan diver to win a Big Ten title in any event was Jason Coben (one-meter, platform in 2004).
» Felix Auböck led a 1-2-3 finish in the 500-yard freestyle, becoming the first man to win four consecutive titles in the event since Peter Vanderkaay (2003-06).
Site: Bloomington, Ind. (Counsilman Billingsley Aquatic Center)
Event: Big Ten Championships (Day 2 of 4)
U-M Team Standing: 1st place of 10 Teams (555 points)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Feb. 28 -- at Big Ten Championships - Day 3 (Bloomington, Ind.), 11 a.m./6:30 p.m.
• Complete Results (PDF) | Photo Gallery
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Senior Felix Auböck (500-yard freestyle) and junior Ross Todd (one-meter diving) each won individual titles to lead the No. 3-ranked University of Michigan men's swimming and diving team on Thursday (Feb. 27) at the Big Ten Championships inside the Counsilman Billingsley Aquatic Center. After two days of action, the Wolverines remain in first place (555 points), with Ohio State (401) and Indiana (397) rounding out the top three in the team standings.
The Wolverines padded their lead in the team race by completely crushing the morning's preliminaries. Of the 18 Wolverines to score in individual events on Thursday, 17 were in A or B finals, which is one less than Indiana and Ohio State had combined (18).
Auböck became the fourth man in Big Ten history to win four consecutive titles in the 500-yard freestyle. For Todd, the win on one-meter was a landmark achievement after finishing 20th in 2019 and 23rd in 2018. He became the first Michigan diver to win a Big Ten title in any of the three diving events since Jason Coben in 2004 (one-meter, platform).
The Michigan distance group put on a show once again, going 1-2-3 for the third consecutive year. Auböck touched first (4:10.14), a win that put him on a short list that includes U-M alums Peter Vanderkaay (2003-06) and Chris Thompson (1998-01), and IU's John Kinsella (1971-74) as the only men in Big Ten history to win the 500-yard freestyle in four consecutive years. Behind him was sophomore Patrick Callan, who won silver (4:11.79) and junior Ricardo Vargas, who won bronze (4:11.80). After making the team following his performances at the First Chance Meet, junior/sophomore Spencer Carl chipped in points from the consolation final, finishing 16th (4:26.12) in his Big Ten Championships debut.
????@umichswimdive's Felix Auböck completes the 4-peat with his pool record performance in the 500-yard freestyle? pic.twitter.com/q5fyUWdICa
— Michigan On BTN (@MichiganOnBTN) February 28, 2020
Todd held the top seed on one-meter out of preliminaries, meaning he was last to dive in each of the six rounds. Heading into the final round, he needed a 61.35 to pass Ohio State's Lyle Jost for the title and got it, scoring a 67.20 on his 5152B to finish with a score of 383.60. Junior Chris Canning, also making the first finals appearance of his career at the Big Ten Championships, joined Todd at night, taking eighth (326.75). Todd and Canning gave Michigan two finalists on one-meter for the first time in 21 years (1999: Josh Trexler, Brett Wilmot). Prior to Thursday, the last Michigan diver to make the one-meter final was Tim Faerber in 2014.
Senior Jake Herremans made the consolation final (16th, 256.95), while freshman Nick Leavell added a few points in his Big Ten Championships debut (23rd, 255.55).
The 200-yard IM was an event dominated by the seniors, including four in the final and five in the top 10. Tommy Cope was just a few hundredths off his career best to win bronze (1:42.77), followed by Charlie Swanson (5th, 1:43.21), Jeremy Babinet (7th, 1:44.09) and Jacob Montague (8th, 1:44.80). Rob Zofchak held a lane in the consolation final, finishing 10th (1:44.24).
The Wolverines put two up in the final of the 50-yard freestyle, led by junior Luiz Gustavo Borges, who was fourth (19.29). His preliminaries time of 19.09 puts him in a tie with Bruno Ortiz (2015) for the second-fastest time in school history. Freshman River Wright joined Borges in the final, finishing seventh (19.77), while senior Miles Smachlo (10th, 19.72) and freshman Cam Peel (13th, 19.82) brought back points in the consolation final. All four men set personal records during the morning.
The Wolverines finished the night with a third-place finish in the 400-yard medley relay behind senior/junior Alex King, Babinet, Smachlo and Borges (3:05.83).
The Big Ten Championships will continue Friday (Feb. 27) at the Counsilman Billingsley Aquatic Center. Preliminaries begin at 11 a.m., with event finals following at 6:30 p.m.. Diving will begin at 1 p.m.
Career Bests
500-yard Freestyle: Patrick Callan (4:11.79 -- No. 6 at U-M)
200-yard IM: Jeremy Babinet (1:43.19 -- No. 9 at U-M)
200-yard IM: Rob Zofchak (1:44.60)
200-yard IM: Mason Hunter (1:48.19)
50-yard Freestyle: Luiz Gustavo Borges (19.09 -- T-2nd at U-M)
50-yard Freestyle: River Wright (19.58)
50-yard Freestyle: Cam Peel (19.62)
50-yard Freestyle: Miles Smachlo (19.62)
50-yard Freestyle: Eric Storms (20.26)
One-Meter Diving: Ross Todd (383.60 -- No. 2 at U-M)
Michigan Results
Team Standings
1. MICHIGAN 555 2. Ohio State 401 3. Indiana 397 4. Wisconsin 274.5 5. Purdue 263 6. Penn State 237 7. Minnesota 227 8. Northwestern 206.5 9. Iowa 205 10. Michigan State 146
500-yard Freestyle
1. Felix Auböck, U-M 4:10.14*P 2. Patrick Callan, U-M 4:11.79* 3. Ricardo Vargas, U-M 4:11.80* 8. Will Roberts, U-M 4:24.23 (4:19.97#) 16. Spencer Carl, U-M 4:26.12 (4:22.61#)
200-yard IM
1. Andrew Loy, Ohio State 1:42.03# 3. Tommy Cope, U-M 1:42.77# 5. Charlie Swanson, U-M 1:43.21# 7. Jeremy Babinet, U-M 1:44.09# (1:43.19#) 8. Jacob Montague, U-M 1:44.80# (1:44.12#) 10. Rob Zofchak, U-M 1:44.24# 33. Jared Daigle, U-M 1:47.79 37. Mason Hunter, U-M 1:48.19 39. Will Chan, U-M 1:48.49
50-yard Freestyle
1. Bruno Blaskovic, IU 18.97# 4. Luiz Gustavo Borges, U-M 19.29# (19.09#) 7. River Wright, U-M 19.77# (19.58#) 10. Miles Smachlo, U-M 19.72# (19.62#) 13. Cam Peel, U-M 19.82# (19.62#) 32. Eric Storms, U-M 20.26
One-Meter Diving
1. Ross Todd, U-M 383.60^ 8. Chris Canning, U-M 326.75^ 16. Jake Herremans, U-M 256.95 (297.35) 23. Nick Leavell, U-M 255.55
400-yard Medley Relay
1. Indiana 3:02.27*P (Gabriel Fantoni, Zane Backes, Brendan Burns, Bruno Blaskovic) 3. MICHIGAN 3:05.83* (Alex King, Jeremy Babinet, 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
