Season Review: 2019-20 Michigan Women's Swimming and Diving
6/23/2020 12:46:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Team Captain: Jacqui Schafer
Record: 6-0, 4-0 Big Ten
Big Ten Championships: 2nd of 13 teams (1,306.5 points)
NCAA Championships: Canceled
The University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team had an eventful 2019-20 season that saw more massive improvements from swimmers and divers alike. The Wolverines went undefeated in dual meets for the third year in a row, took second at the Big Ten Championships and appeared poised for another run at a top-four team finish at the NCAA Championships before the meet was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Team Highlights
• The Wolverines finished second at the Big Ten Championships in February (1,306.5 points). Over the four-day meet in Iowa City, Iowa, U-M won eight Big Ten individual or relay titles and accrued 10 silver and bronze medals.
• Prior to the NCAA Championships being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Michigan was ranked No. 5 in the CSCAA/TYR Top 25 poll. Nine swimmers had individually qualified for the NCAA Championships.
• The Wolverines went 6-0 in dual meets, scoring wins over Navy (190-110), Miami University (229-71), Iowa (173-127), Indiana (186-114), Ohio State (165-135) and Michigan State (181-83). It was the program's third consecutive undefeated season.
• Twenty-six members of the team received the U-M Athletic Academic Achievement Award, given to student-athletes who maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher. Of those 26, 18 also received Academic All-Big Ten honors.
Individual Highlights
• Sophomore Maggie MacNeil vaulted to new heights in her second year, earning Big Ten Swimmer of the Year and U-M Female Athlete of the Year honors. She was a six-time Big Ten champion this year, winning the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly, while swimming legs on three winning relay teams. Following the season, she was named one of the four finalists for the 2020 Honda Award for Swimming and Diving. Among the NCAA's all-time performers, MacNeil ended the season ranked No. 1 (tie) in the 100-yard butterfly (49.26, 2019), No. 7 in the 100-yard freestyle (46.57, 2020), No. 8 in the 50-yard freestyle (21.30, 2020) and No. 9 (tie) in the 100-yard backstroke (50.04, 2020).
• Sophomore Olivia Carter made an immediate impact to the squad after completing a transfer from the University of Georgia. She made her Michigan debut at the Orange Bowl Classic in January and went on to win the Big Ten title in the 200-yard butterfly, setting Big Ten, meet and school records. Carter also was second in the 100-yard butterfly and ninth in the 200-yard IM.
• Senior Miranda Tucker won the Big Ten title in the 100-yard breaststroke, becoming the program's first champion in that event in 24 years. She also was fourth in the 200-yard breaststroke and seventh in the 50-yard freestyle. Tucker graduated as one of the best breaststrokers in school history, holding short course (yards) and long course (meters) records in both breaststroke events.
• Kaitlynn Sims was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year after finishing third in the 1,650-yard freestyle and fourth in the 500-yard freestyle at the Big Ten Championships. After just one season in Ann Arbor, she ranks fourth in school history in both events.
• Junior Daria Pyshnenko saw massive improvement this season, finishing second in the 50-yard freestyle and third in the 100-yard freestyle at the Big Ten Championships while swimming on three Big Ten champion relay teams. She became just the fourth woman in school history to break 22 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle and the sixth woman to break 48 seconds in the 100-yard freestyle.
• Wolverine divers amassed 195 points at the Big Ten Championships, the third most of any team. Michigan had finalists in each of the three diving events for the first time in six years (Carey Chen, 2014). Junior Nikki Canale made finals on both one-meter and three-meter, becoming the first Michigan diver to accomplish that feat in four years (Sarah Kamstra, 2016), while junior Christy Cutshaw was the team's first finalist on tower in six years (Chen).
Honors and Awards
Nikki
Canale
Olivia
Carter
Maggie
MacNeil
Daria
Pyshnenko
Kaitlynn
Sims
Miranda
Tucker
CSCAA All-Americans
Nikki Canale (1M, 3M, PL)
Olivia Carter (100 FL, 200 FL, 200 IM, 400 FR-R, 400 ME-R)
Lauren Cheetham (3M, PL)
Christy Cutshaw (PL)
Chloe Hicks (200 BK)
Lucy Hogan (3M, PL)
Allie Klein (3M)
Vanessa Krause (100 FL, 200 FL, 200 FR-R)
Victoria Kwan (200 FL, 400 IM)
Maggie MacNeil (50 FR, 100 FR, 100 FL, 200 FR-R, 400 FR-R, 200 ME-R, 400 ME-R)
Claire Maiocco (200 ME-R)
Camryn McPherson (1M, 3M, PL)
Daria Pyshnenko (50 FR, 100 FR, 200 FR-R, 400 FR-R, 200 ME-R, 400 ME-R)
Sierra Schmidt (500 FR, 1650 FR)
Kaitlynn Sims (500 FR, 1650 FR)
Paige Sundermann (PL)
Miranda Tucker (100 BR, 200 BR, 200 FR-R, 400 FR-R, 200 ME-R, 400 ME-R)
NOTE: Due to the cancellation of the NCAA Championships because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CSCAA board adjusted the selection criteria for each division. For Division I, All-America honors were awarded to any swimmer on a relay that achieved the NCAA 'A' standard, any individual who had qualified for the NCAA Championships and any diver who had qualified for the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships (Michigan is in Zone C; the meet was canceled midway through the first day of competition).
Big Ten Champions
Maggie MacNeil: 50-yard Freestyle, 100-yard Freestyle, 100-yard Butterfly
Olivia Carter: 200-yard Butterfly
Miranda Tucker: 100-yard Breaststroke
400-yard Freestyle Relay: Maggie MacNeil, Olivia Carter, Miranda Tucker, Daria Pyshnenko
200-yard Medley Relay: Maggie MacNeil, Miranda Tucker, Claire Maiocco, Daria Pyshnenko
400-yard Medley Relay: Maggie MacNeil, Miranda Tucker, Olivia Carter, Daria Pyshnenko
Big Ten Awards
Big Ten Swimmer of the Year: Maggie MacNeil
Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships: Maggie MacNeil
Big Ten Freshman of the Year: Kaitlynn Sims
All-Big Ten First Team: Olivia Carter, Maggie MacNeil, Claire Maiocco, Daria Pyshnenko, Miranda Tucker
All Big Ten Second Team: Vanessa Krause, Victoria Kwan, Sierra Schmidt
Big Ten Sportsmanship Honoree: Jacqui Schafer
Swimmer of the Week: Maggie MacNeil (Sept. 25, Dec. 11, Jan. 22)
Diver of the Week: Allie Klein (Sept. 25)
Freshman of the Week: Kaitlynn Sims (Sept. 25, Dec. 11)
Academic All-Big Ten
Nikki Canale, Jr., Sport Management
Emma Cleason, Jr., Movement Science
Christy Cutshaw, Jr., Biopsychology, Cognition & Neuroscience
Jackie DeLoof, Sr., Health & Fitness
Chloe Hicks, Sr., Psychology
Alex Hughes, Jr., Sport Management
Allie Klein, So., Sport Management
Vanessa Krause, Sr., Sport Management
Kate Krolikowski, Jr., Business Administration
Victoria Kwan, So., LSA Undeclared
Maggie MacNeil, So., LSA Undeclared
Claire Maiocco, Jr., Cellular & Molecular Biology
Camryn McPherson, Jr., Economics
Katie Minnich, So., Biopsychology, Cognition & Neuroscience
Jacqui Schafer, Sr., Computer Science
Sierra Schmidt, Jr., Film, Television & Media
Caroline Sisson, So., Psychology
Miranda Tucker, Sr., History of Art
Players Mentioned
