Michigan
Big Ten Championships
Balduccini Captures 200 Free Title on Day Three of B1G Championships
2/21/2025 10:05:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Site: Columbus, Ohio (McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion)
Event: Big Ten Championships (Day 3 of 4)
U-M Team Result: 3rd Place of 14 Teams (771 Points)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Feb. 22 -- at Big Ten Women's Swimming and Diving Championships - Day Four (Columbus, Ohio), 10 a.m./5:30 p.m.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The No. 10-ranked University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team saw another set of solid performances on Friday (Feb. 21) on the third day of the Big Ten Championships at McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion.
U-M currently sits third with a total of 771 points. Ohio State leads with 904.5 points while Indiana has tallied 777.5 points.
Kiarra Milligan got the evening session underway with a 15th-place finish in the three-meter dive, posting a score of 285.95.
In swimming, U-M was hot out of the gates on the third night of competition, placing four swimmers inside the top six overall in the 100-yard butterfly. Brady Kendall captured silver with a time of 51.60 seconds. Lexi Greenhawt easily lowered her career-best mark in the event and took bronze with a time of 51.65. Natalie Kan and Ella Jo Piersma rounded out the quartet of championship finalists with times of 52.36 and 52.37, respectively, to take fifth and sixth.
Balduccini stepped up on the big stage, winning the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:41.16. The sophomore outraced USC's Minna Abraham and defending Big Ten champion Anna Peplowski of Indiana for her first career individual conference title. The win marks the first for the Maize and Blue in the event since Siobhán Haughey in 2019. Christey Liang and Malia Amuan took fifth and sixth, respectively, posting marks of 1:44.34 and 1:44.59.
Letitia Sim captured her second silver of the championships by clocking a 58.74 in the 100-yard breaststroke, and Devon Kitchel topped the consolation final with a strong time of 59.82.
Bellard finished seventh in the 400-yard IM with a time of 4:09.13 while Chung took eighth in the 100-yard backstroke with a mark of 51.92.
The 400-yard medley relay team was disqualified for an early takeoff.
The Maize and Blue turned in another strong performance in the preliminary session highlighted by four Wolverines -- Kendall, Kan, Piersma and Greenhawt -- qualifying for the championship final in the 100-yard butterfly. Hannah Bellard punched her ticket to the championship final of the 400-yard IM while Balduccini led a trio of Wolverines into the top heat of the 200-yard freestyle relay.
Sim earned the second seed in the 'A' final of the 100-yard breaststroke, and Casey Chung earned her way to the fastest final heat of the 100-yard backstroke.
Michigan will wrap up the Big Ten Championships on Saturday (Feb. 22) at McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion. Preliminaries will start at 10 a.m. with finals commencing at 5:00 p.m.
Standings After Day Three
1. No. 14 Ohio State 904.5 2. No. 7 Indiana 777.5 3. NO. 10 MICHIGAN 771 4. No. 12 USC 584 5. No. 13 Wisconsin 555 6. No. 24 Minnesota 402 7. UCLA 379.5 8. Purdue 357 9. Northwestern 273 10. Nebraska 256.5 11. Rutgers 211 12. Penn State 208 13. Illinois 176 14. Iowa 129
Players Mentioned
