Michigan
Michigan State
Wolverines Down Michigan State, Rutgers at Canham
1/23/2021 1:28:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving
» The Wolverines won 14 of 15 events vs. Michigan State and Rutgers, improving to 4-0 on the season.
» Maggie MacNeil and Sophie Housey won two events each.
» Sierra Schmidt posted the nation's fastest time in the 1,650-yard freestyle.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Canham Natatorium)
Score: #5 Michigan 146, Michigan State 107; #5 Michigan 153, Rutgers 38
Records: U-M (4-0), MSU (1-1), Rutgers (0-2)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Feb. 6 -- vs. Ohio State (Canham Natatorium), TBA
• Complete Results (PDF)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 5-ranked University of Michigan women's swimming and diving program won 14 of 15 events to post dual wins over Michigan State (146-107) and Rutgers (153-38) on Saturday (Jan. 23) at Canham Natatorium.
"This was a fun meet," said head coach Mike Bottom. "It was fun seeing the entire team cheer and push Sierra forward during the mile. It was fun seeing Victoria swim a 400 IM that'll likely get her invited to NCAAs. And it was fun seeing swimmers find success in events that may not be their strength. There were a lot of great swims today, and the best part is, we're continuing to improve."
The Wolverines kicked off the meet with a commanding win in the 400-yard medley relay (3:40.67). Junior Maggie MacNeil, less than 24 hours removed from learning she had been named to the Canadian Olympic Team, led off in 52.75, while junior Olivia Carter added a solid 52.96 split on the butterfly leg. MacNeil was one of two double victors on Saturday, showing easy speed to win the 50-yard freestyle (22.30) and 100-yard freestyle (50.12).
The other was freshman Sophie Housey, who built on the strong start to her rookie season. She took the 200-yard butterfly out fast and held onto that speed to win by nearly six seconds (1:58.94). Later in the 500-yard freestyle, just .05 seconds separated her from teammate Sophia Kudryashova with 100 yards to go, but Housey turned on the jets and pulled away to take the win (4:55.59).
Senior Sierra Schmidt swam the 1,650-yard freestyle during the second break, posting the No. 1 time in the country so far this season (15:53.52). She also established a new Canham Natatorium record in the 1,000-yard freestyle during the race (9:35.49), breaking the old record of 9:36.87, which had been held by Minnesota's Ashley Steenvorden since 2009.
Other winners included sophomore Megan Glass in the 200-yard freestyle (1:51.73), freshman Noelle Kaufmann in the 100-yard backstroke (56.74), Carter in the 200-yard backstroke (1:59.49), sophomore Mariella Venter in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:19.28), senior Daria Pyshnenko in the 100-yard butterfly (55.19) and junior Victoria Kwan in the 400-yard IM (4:12.73).
Michigan showed its depth on the diving boards on Saturday. Junior Allie Klein (352.70), senior Nikki Canale (311.55) and freshman Lauren Cheetham (291.65) went 1-2-3 on three-meter, while Canale (321.80), Klein (307.95) and senior Christy Cutshaw (289.80) went 1-3-4 on one-meter.
Michigan ended the meet with a win in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:32.19). MacNeil split 22.20 on the leadoff leg.
The next and final dual meet of the season is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 6, when Michigan welcomes rival Ohio State to Canham Natatorium. The start time will be announced at a later date.
Players Mentioned
