Michigan Women 183, Toledo 109

The University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team celebrated its home opener with a 183-109 victory over Toledo Friday night (Oct. 26) in Canham Natatorium. The Wolverines turned in first-place finishes in all but one swimming event and both diving competitions.

Senior Justine Mueller (Monroe, Mich./Monroe) clinched three victories, including an exhibition win in the 400-yard individual medley. Juniors Hannah Smith (Dexter, Mich./Dexter) and Emily Brunemann (Crescent Springs, Ky./Notre Dame Academy), sophomore Margaret Kelly (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) and fifth-year senior Melissa Jaeger (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) each earned a pair of victories apiece in the pool, while senior Elyse Lee (Albion, Mich./Albion) won both events off the board.

Michigan started off quickly in the 200-yard medley relay, as the foursome of Hannah Smith, Mueller junior Payton Johnson (Champaign, Ill./Centennial) and Kelly pulled away from the pack to finish first with a two-second cushion at 1:45.25. Brunemann and sophomore Emily Hanson (Bloomington, Ill./Normal Community) each turned in NCAA consideration times in the 1,650-yard freestyle, touching the wall in 16:24.58 and 16:45.95, respectively.

Seniors Lee and Katie Skendrovic (Spring Lake, Mich./Spring Lake) tacked 13 points to the Wolverine lead with the top two results in the one-meter diving. Kelly kept the ball rolling, leading a slew of Wolverines that accounted for the top four finishers in the 200-yard freestyle. Hannah Smith then clinched the 100-yard backstroke, followed by wins for Mueller in the 100-yard breaststroke and Jaeger in the 200-yard butterfly.

 

Toledo's Leah Woodard won the 50 free with a time of 23.38 in the 50-yard freestyle.

“Leah and Megan were our best swimmers today,” Toledo Coach Lars Jorgensen said. “Megan was fantastic in the three-meter, but overall our divers were good today.”

After the break, Michigan continued to extend its lead on the shoulders of two event winners. Kelly touched the wall in 51.25 in the 100-yard freestyle before Hannah Smith got top honors in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:01.97. Mueller turned in her third win of the day in the 200-yard breaststroke, fending off a Toledo challenger in the next lane with a strong 50-yard dash to the finish. Mueller's time of 2:18.14 gives the Wolverine senior her first NCAA consideration time of the season.

Brunemann earned a sweep of the distance events, clocking in a 4:54.42 in the 500-yard freestyle to miss the NCAA ‘B’ mark by four-tenths of a second. After Jaeger's win in the 100-yard butterfly, Michigan finished the day swimming exhibition in the final two events and three-meter diving.

 

“We weren’t that great today, should have done better,” Jorgensen said. Our relay teams were not that bad though.”

The Rockets start conference play on Friday Nov. 2 when they head the Muncie, IN to take on the Ball State Cardinals starting at 6:00 p.m.

The Wolverines return to the pool Friday and Saturday (Nov. 2-3) with a two-day tri-meet against Indiana and Texas in Bloomington, Ind. Friday's events begin at noon, and Saturday's action starts at 11 a.m.