Michigan
Big Ten Championships
Swanson, Smachlo Win Titles to Keep Michigan in First at Big Ten Championships
2/28/2020 10:07:00 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving
» Michigan (1,063 points) extended its lead at the Big Ten Championships on Friday. Ohio State (865) and Indiana (857.5) rounded out the top three in the team standings.
» Miles Smachlo repeated as Big Ten champion in the 100-yard butterfly, the first Michigan swimmer to accomplish that feat since Chris Brady (2009-10).
» Charlie Swanson became the third man in Big Ten history to win four consecutive titles in the 400-yard IM. U-M had seven swimmers score in the event, combining for 139 points.
» Ross Todd scored an 85.00 on his sixth and final dive to win the silver medal on three-meter (414.25).
Site: Bloomington, Ind. (Counsilman Billingsley Aquatic Center)
Event: Big Ten Championships (Day 3 of 4)
U-M Team Standing: 1st place of 10 Teams (1,063 points)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Feb. 29 -- at Big Ten Championships - Day 4 (Bloomington, Ind.), 11 a.m./6:30 p.m.
• Complete Results (PDF) | Photo Gallery
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Seniors Miles Smachlo (100-yard butterfly) and Charlie Swanson (400-yard IM) each captured individual titles, and junior Ross Todd won a silver medal on the three-meter springboard to lead the No. 3-ranked University of Michigan men's swimming and diving team on Friday (Feb. 28) at the Big Ten Championships at the Counsilman Billingsley Aquatic Center. The Wolverines remain in first place heading into Saturday's final day with 1,063 points, ahead of Ohio State (865) and Indiana (857.5).
The Wolverines entered the day in first place and reinforced that spot in the team standings with another huge preliminaries session. U-M got 24 scoring performances -- 21 in swimming finals (11 A, 6 B, 4 C) and another three on the three-meter springboard (1/1/1). By comparison, Indiana had 23 scoring chances (9/9/5) and Ohio State had 22 (10/9/3).
Smachlo began the night with a bang, winning his second consecutive Big Ten title in the 100-yard butterfly, matching the NCAA 'A' standard (45.05). He led Indiana's Bruno Blaskovic, the top seed coming into the finals, by .01 seconds at the 75-yard mark, but accelerated coming home, closing in 12.11 to win by nearly four-tenths of a second. Smachlo is the team's first back-to-back champion in the event since Chris Brady (2009-10).
WATCH: Miles Smachlo accelerates in the last 25 yards and holds off IU's Bruno Blaskovic to win his second consecutive Big Ten title in the 100-yard Butterfly! #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/o1mEGfGpQp
— Michigan Swimming & Diving (@umichswimdive) February 28, 2020
Freshman River Wright held his seed in the consolation final, finishing ninth with the 10th-best time in school history (46.13). Senior Alex Martin moved up in the bonus final, taking 18th (47.36).
The Michigan distance group dominated for the second consecutive day, as all seven swimmers received second swims in the 400-yard IM and combined for 139 points. Swanson was the victor once again, claiming his fourth consecutive title (3:40.26). Since the Big Ten made the 400-yard IM an event in 1963, only two other men have won it all four years: U-M alum Tim Siciliano (1998-01) and Iowa's John Davey (1985-88). Including Swanson, U-M has won the event in 22 of the last 23 years, including in each of the last seven.
Junior Ricardo Vargas, who made the final after swimming in the first heat of preliminaries, won silver (3:42.68), while senior Tommy Cope won bronze (3:42.80). Freshman Danny Berlitz swam alongside Vargas in preliminaries and took sixth in his Big Ten Championships debut (3:47.49). Junior Will Roberts out-touched Indiana's Matthew Jerden in prelims by .01 to earn the eighth and final spot in the final, taking eighth (3:48.62). Sophomores Jared Daigle (21st, 3:52.40) and AJ Bornstein (23rd, 3:53.49) chipped in points in the bonus final.
Fresh off last night's title on one-meter, Todd won another medal on Friday, taking silver on three-meter (414.25). He nailed an 85.00 on his sixth and final dive -- a 5154B with a 3.4 degree of difficulty -- leapfrogging Ohio State divers Lyle Yost and Joseph Canova for the silver medal. Junior Chris Canning jumped a few spots in the consolation final and took 10th overall (336.60). Senior Jake Herremans brought back a few points in the bonus final (22nd, 264.60).
Senior Jeremy Babinet won bronze in the 100-yard breaststroke (51.44), coming within .03 seconds of the school record of 51.41, set by Richard Funk in 2015. Sophomore Will Chan joined him on the podium finishing eighth (53.48). Sophomore Mason Hunter notched a top-10 finish (10th, 53.48) and senior Jacob Montague was right behind him in 11th (52.89).
Senior Felix Auböck led three finalists in the 200-yard freestyle, finishing fourth (1:33.03). Sophomore Patrick Callan was right behind him in fifth (1:33.04), while junior Luiz Gustavo Borges was seventh (1:35.01). Senior Rob Zofchak moved up in the consolation final, winning the heat from lane one and finishing ninth (1:35.40).
Three swimmers scored points in the consolation final. Sophomore Eric Storms was 15th (47.92), senior/junior Alex King was 16th (48.73) and Martin -- in his second individual swim of the day -- was 18th (47.62).
The Wolverines finished off the night with the 200-yard freestyle relay. The quartet of Borges, Smachlo, freshman Cam Peel and Wright finished second, picking up an NCAA 'A' cut (1:16.69).
The fight for the Big Ten Championships will conclude Saturday (Feb. 29) at the Counsilman Billingsley Aquatic Center. Preliminaries begin at 11 a.m., with finals following at 6:30 p.m. Platform diving will begin at 1 p.m.
Career Bests
100-yard Butterfly: River Wright (46.13 -- No. 10 at U-M)
100-yard Butterfly: Eric Storms (47.62)
400-yard IM: Danny Berlitz (3:46.34)
200-yard Freestyle: Luiz Gustavo Borges (1:34.44 -- tie)
200-yard Freestyle: Rob Zofchak (1:35.40)
200-yard Freestyle: Cam Peel (1:37.72)
100-yard Breaststroke: Jeremy Babinet (51.44 -- No. 2 at U-M)
100-yard Breaststroke: AJ Bornstein (54.59)
100-yard Backstroke: Eric Storms (47.36)
Michigan Results
Team Standings (Through Day 3)
1. MICHIGAN 1063 2. Ohio State 865 3. Indiana 857.5 4. Wisconsin 569 5. Purdue 422 6. Minnesota 420 7. Northwestern 407.5 8. Penn State 379 9. Iowa 360 10. Michigan State 218
100-yard Butterfly
1. Miles Smachlo, U-M 45.05*P 9. River Wright, U-M 46.13# 18. Alex Martin, U-M 47.36# 25. Eric Storms, U-M 47.62 37. Alex King, U-M 48.21
400-yard IM
1. Charlie Swanson, U-M 3:40.26# 2. Ricardo Vargas, U-M 3:42.68# 3. Tommy Cope, U-M 3:42.80# 6. Danny Berlitz, U-M 3:47.49# (3:46.34#) 8. Will Roberts, U-M 3:48.62# (3:46.52#) 21. Jared Daigle, U-M 3:52.40# (3:50.48#) 23. AJ Bornstein, U-M 3:53.49 (3:53.24)
200-yard Freestyle
1. Andrew Loy, Ohio State 1:31.88* 4. Felix Auböck, U-M 1:33.03# 5. Patrick Callan, U-M 1:33.04# (1:33.00#) 7. Luiz Gustavo Borges, U-M 1:35.01# (1:34.44#) 9. Rob Zofchak, U-M 1:35.40# T30. Spencer Carl, U-M 1:37.44 33. Cam Peel, U-M 1:37.72
100-yard Breaststroke
1. Max McHugh, Minnesota 50.67# 3. Jeremy Babinet, U-M 51.44# 8. Will Chan, U-M 53.48# (52.38#) 10. Mason Hunter, U-M 52.89# (52.85#) 11. Jacob Montague, U-M 52.90# 25. AJ Bornstein, U-M 54.59
100-yard Backstroke
1. Gabriel Fantoni, IU 44.92*P 15. Eric Storms, U-M 47.92 (47.36#) 16. Alex King, U-M 48.73 (47.29#) 18. Alex Martin, U-M 47.62#
Three-Meter Diving
1. Greg Duncan, Purdue 448.20^ 2. Ross Todd, U-M 414.25^ 10. Chris Canning, U-M 336.60 22. Jake Herremans, U-M 264.40 25. Nick Leavell, U-M 255.60
200-yard Freestyle Relay
1. Indiana 1:16.30* (Bruno Blaskovic, Jack Franzman, Brandon Hamblin, Mohamed Samy) 2. MICHIGAN 1:16.69* (Luiz Gustavo Borges, Miles Smachlo, Cam Peel, River Wright)
* 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
