Minnesota
The Golden Gophers picked up three Big Ten titles in tonight's competition. Including freshman Brooke Zeiger taking the 400 IM, Kierra Smith defending her 100 breast title and Yu Zhou, Shelly, picking up her second gold medal in the three-meter diving competition. The University of Minnesota currently sits in first place with 421.5 points. Indiana is in second with 374, and Michigan in third with 331.5.
Night three began with Golden Gophers Tori Simenec, Kierra Smith, Danielle Nack and Rebecca Weiland placing fourth in the 400 medley relay. The relay team finished with NCAA A cut of 3:34.15, finishing behind Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio State.
Freshman Brooke Zeiger became the 400 IM Big Ten Champion after finishing with a time of 4:03.28, nearly five seconds faster than the rest of the field. Zeiger also broke the Minnesota school record, which was previously held by Jenny Shaughnessy (4:06.37) in 2009. Teammate Samantha Harding finished seventh with a time of 4:13.14.
Breanne Siwicki finished 16th in the 400 IM, posting a time of 4:20.69.
Three Golden Gophers competed in the Championship final of the 100 butterfly. Senior Rebecca Weiland finished fourth with a time of 52.35. Tori Simenec posted a 52.87 for sixth, and freshman Danielle Nack raced a 52.96 for seventh.
Senior Devin Ste. Marie finished with a time of 53.65 for eleventh place in the 100 fly.
Blake Zeiger finished 22nd overall in the 100 fly, finishing with a time of 54.77
Jessica Plant placed fourth in the 200 freestyle. The senior finished with a time of 1:45.55.
Representing Minnesota in the consolation final of the 200 free was seniors Kiera Janzen and Tori Simenec. Janzen placed twelfth with a time of 1:46.97, while Simenec picked up 16th with a time of 1:48.19.
Maddie Hoch won the C final of the 200 freestyle, finishing with a time of 1:47.47.
Kierra Smith defended her title in the 100 breaststroke. The junior finished with a time of 59.32 to take home the gold.
Senior Heidi Busack finished 16th in the 100 breast, posting a time of 1:01.76.
Picking up her second Big Ten title was sophomore Shelly, Yu Zhou. Totaling 411.55 points on the three-meter boards, Zhou took first in the event - while breaking the pool record at McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion. Teammate Katy Etterman finished eighth, totaling 315.45 points.
Lexi Tenenbaum placed tenth in the three-meter competition with 346.35 points during the consolation finals.
Competition will resume tomorrow at 10 a.m. CT with preliminary heats of the 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly and platform diving.
Team Standings After Day 3
1. Minnesota, 421.5
2. Indiana, 374
3. Michigan, 331.5
4. Wisconsin, 299
5. Purdue, 261
6. Ohio State, 250
7. Penn State, 224
8. Iowa, 153
9. Northwestern, 106
10. Nebraska, 105
11. Rutgers, 92
12. Illinois, 60
13. Michigan State, 57
Illinois
Much like the first two days of the Big Ten Swimming and Diving Championships, the Illinois swimming and diving team swam faster than at any other point this season. In total, the Illini put up one school record and 10 times that altered the all-time fastest individuals lists.
“We had another solid day and just missed out on some second swim opportunities for finals,” said head coach Sue Novitsky. “I feel like the team is swimming well with a lot of lifetime bests. We are on the cusp of having a breakthrough swim that will take some of the pressure off. At times we are just pressing a bit hard. We are worried about the outcome instead of staying mindful and in the present.”
The highlight of the third day of competition was the school-record performance by the 400 medley relay team. Alison Meng, Samantha Stratford, Lori Lynn and Sarah Sykstus teamed up to swim 3:41.75.
In the 100 fly, a trio of Illini cracked the top-10 fastest individuals list. Lynn led the way with a time of 55.07, the third fastest in school history. Her 50 fly split of 25.25 also moved her into second on the all-time list. Hailey Booth completed the 100 fly in 55.46, moving into fifth on the individual list, while Gabrielle Bethke finished in 55.98, good for 10th-best individual time.
Amelia Schilling followed up the performances in the 100 fly with another strong showing in the 200 free. She completed the event in 1:49.10, jumping up to sixth all-time fastest individual.
In the 100 breast, the Illini again had multiple swimmers crack the all-time lists. Jennifer Coady was the top finisher for Illinois, recording a time of 1:04.95 to become the eighth-fastest individual. Her 50 breast split of 29.69 pushed her into fourth on that event list. Isabella Schamber joined Coady on the list of fastest Illini in the 50 breast, moving into ninth at 29.95.
In the 100 back, Sloane McDermott finished in 56.68, good for ninth-fastest individual in Illinois history. She also moved into 10th in the 50 back with a 27.18 split.
One of the Illini who did not alter any of the top-10 lists but stood out was Meng. In addition to her role on the record-setting 400 medley relay team, Meng competed in the 100 fly and two heats of the 100 breast. Her performance in each event was close to her personal best.
“Alison had a tough day with four races,” Novitsky noted. “She battled in each one and was just off her best each time. She is a warrior for us. She keeps going back to work and I know she will come back strong again for the last day.”
The Illini sit in 12th in the team standings with one day of competition remaining.
Indiana
Freshman Kennedy Goss won her second individual title and junior Brooklynn Snodgrass made it three-straight wins in the 100 backstroke to highlight day three of the 2015 Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships in Columbus, Ohio.
A big day in the water moved Indiana up to second in the standings with 374 points.
Goss picked up her second Big Ten title in as many nights by taking the 200 freestyle in a career-best time of 1:44.15. For the second time it was also a 1-2 IU finish as junior Haley Lips finished right behind Goss with her career best of 1:44.68.
Delaney Barnard finished 11th with a time of 1:46.92, just off her career best of 1:46.77 set in prelims. Stephanie Marchuk was 13th, hitting a new career standard with a 1:47.02.
Cynthia Pammett qualified for the consolation final with her time of 1:47.19 but scratched from the event, allowing Marchuk to move up to the scoring heat. Holly Spears finished 35th overall with a career best of 1:49.44, while Gabriela Rajic also posted a career time, going 1:51.65 for 35th.
Snodgrass’ third-straight title in the 100 backstroke was never in doubt as she led wire-to-wire, setting a new Big Ten Meet record with a time of 51.51. That tops the old record of 51.52 set by Kate Fesenko in 2009, and is the fifth-fastest 100 back in IU history.
Freshman Marie Chamberlain popped a career-best 52.91 to finish fourth, while Justine Ress was seventh in 53.15, and Allie Day eighth (53.40). In the consolation final Ali Rockett placed 12th in 54.35, after going a career best 53.90 in prelims. Cynthia Pammett was 16th with a 54.70.
Snodgrass had the second-fastest swim of the morning, going 52.28. Chamberlain was the fourth qualifier (52.96), followed by Ress’ 52.96. Day made the A final with a 53.26 swim.
For the second-year in a row Gia Dalesandro was the runner-up in the 100 butterfly, going 52.07 to miss out on the top spot by just 6/100ths of a second. That is the third-fastest time on the IU books, giving Dalesandro the top-four all-time swims for IU in the event.
Olivia Barker matched her personal best with a 54.16, finishing seventh in the consolation final and 15th overall. Kaitlin Kitchens put up a career best in the bonus final, finishing 21st overall in 54.69.
Dalesandro posted a time of 52.53 in prelims. Barker made the consolation final after clocking a 54.23, with Kitchens going 54.77 in her morning swim. Grace Vertigans went 54.47 in prelims but elected not to swim the bonus final.
Also taking home silver was freshman diver Jessica Parratto, who tallied a score of 372.45. She was the top qualifier for the championship final after a career best of 382.95 in prelims. Lacey Houser scored a personal best 367.20 points to win the consolation final, finishing ninth overall.
Sam Lisy chopped another two seconds off her career best to finish fourth in the 400 individual medley with a time of 4:11.32. Right behind her in fifth place was Dorina Szekeres, clocking a 4:12.08. Bailey Pressey cut almost three seconds off her personal best to take second in the consolation final and 10th overall with a time of 4:12.31. Reagan Cook was sixth in the race and 14th overall with a swim of 4:15.91.
In prelims Szekeres led the Hoosiers with a 4:11.14 in prelims. Lisy qualified sixth with a time of 4:13.11. Cook finished 11th in a career time of 4:14.77, while Pressey qualified 12th with her time of 4:15.52. Rachel Matsumura went a career best 4:19.71 but chose not to swim the bonus final.
Claudia Di Capua placed 24th in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:03.76. She made a second swim after going a career best 1:02.84 in prelims. Taylor Truex went a career-best 1:06.45 to finish 48th.
The only disappointment of the night came in the first event as a fifth-place finish in the 400 medley relay was wiped out with a disqualification due to an early exchange.
The championship wraps up Saturday with morning prelims in the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly and platform diving. The morning session begins at 11 a.m. ET, with finals starting at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Iowa
For the second-straight night, the University of Iowa women's swimming and diving team broke a trio of school records at the Big Ten Championships in Columbus, Ohio. After three days of competition, the Hawkeyes sit in eighth place with 153 points, while Minnesota (421.5) and Michigan (331.5) hold the top two spots.
The quartet of Meghan Lavelle, Emma Sougstad, Carly O’Brien, and Becky Stoughton gave the Hawkeyes a fast start in the finals session by rewriting the UI record books in the 400 medley relay. The foursome posted a time of 3:38.68, besting the previous mark of 3:39.54 set at the Big Ten Championships a season ago.
Freshman Carly O’Brien carried the momentum into the 100 fly knocking off a second-straight record for the Black and Gold. O’Brien’s time of 54.54 in the finals session placed 19th among the field of 61.
In the 200 free consolation finals, junior Olivia Kabacinski swam to a 15th-place finish, touching out with a time of 1:47.81. Earlier in the prelims, Kabacinski bested a personal record with a time of 1:47.43.
Sougstad again shined on Friday night, this time setting a UI school record in the 100 breast with a fourth-place time of 1:00.04. The Forest City, Iowa, native erases her previous mark of 1:00.14 met earlier this season.
Lavelle capped Friday nights action with a 13th-place showing in the 100 back, coming in with a personal-best time of 54.45.
In the diving well, Joelle Christy represented the Iowa divers on the 3-meter. Christy dove to a score of 292.35 in the preliminaries and added to that score in the finals placing 15th with a score of 295.45.
Nebraska
Nebraska set a school record in the 400-yard medley relay, Anna Filipcic captured a third-place finish and the Huskers notched six more top-24 finishes to wrap up Friday's competition at the 2015 Big Ten Swimming and Diving Championships.
The Huskers began the evening by setting a school record in the 400-yard medley relay. The team of Rebekah Land, Samantha Hardewig, Bria Deveaux and Taryn Collura finished in a time of 3:38.82, earning ninth-place.
In the B final of the 100-yard butterfly, Taryn Collura took 12th swimming a time of 53.69. Collura swam a career-best time and earned an NCAA B cut in Friday morning's prelims. Bria Devaux (54.66) and Erin Oeltjen (54.80) finished 20th and 23rd, competing in Friday's C final of the event. Deveaux swam a season-best time in the prelims, while Oeltjen set a career-best Friday morning.
In the 100-yard breaststroke, Samantha Hardewig swam a time of 1:02.77, earning a 21st-place finish. Hardewig swam a career-best time and earned an NCAA B cut in the preliminary round of the event.
In the diving well, Anna Filipcic earned her second third-place finish of the Big Ten Championships. Filipcic posted a career-best score of 356.75 on her way to a third-place finish in the three-meter dive.
Ohio State
Junior Rachael Dzierzak earned a school record in the 100 breaststroke, while sophomore standout Lindsey Clary dropped her own Ohio State record in the 400 individual medley to highlight the Buckeyes’ third day of action at the 2015 Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships. Ohio State and its Big Ten counterparts return to McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion on Saturday for the final day of competition. Prelims are scheduled for 11 a.m. and finals will commence at 6:30 p.m.
Minnesota remains on top the team leaderboard with 421.5 points. The Hoosiers of Indiana claimed second from now third-place Michigan, while Wisconsin and Purdue round out the Top 5.
Ohio State’s 400 medley relay quartet of freshman Zhesi Li, Dzierzak, senior Aliena Schmidtke and junior Annie Jongekrijg began finals with a podium finish. Earning an automatic NCAA qualifying mark, the Buckeyes clocked a time of 3:34.10 for third.
“If you looked at the hundreds of strokes today, I think we probably exceeded my expectations in the 400 medley as we swam to an NCAA ‘A’ cut time,” Ohio State head women’s swimming coach Bill Dorenkott said. “At the end of the day, we had four very strong legs that finished the race.”
Clary followed it up with a second-place showing in the 400 individual medley, dropping her school record to 4:08.07. She shredded her preliminary time by nearly two seconds in the event. Junior Annie Gillig also improved in finals, touching with a time of 4:15.30 in the bonus consolation; veteran Lauren Davis followed with a time of 4:20.60. In prelims, freshman Meg Bailey cut nearly two seconds off her season-best time with a 4:25.89, while her classmate Amanda McNulty posted a 4:31.41. McNulty also competed in prelims of the 100 butterfly, touching in 57.08.
In the championship final of the 100 butterfly, Schmidtke placed fifth in a time of 52.43. A closely contested race, the Magdeburg, Germany native finished just off former Buckeye Shannon Drave’s school record time of 52.29. Sophomore Annelise Sprau touched in a time of 54.83 in the bonus consolation final. In prelims, Sprau posted a season-best mark of 54.71.
Two Buckeyes earned a spot in the championship final of the 100 breaststroke and certainly didn’t disappoint during the evening session. Dzierzak became the first Buckeye to break the one-minute barrier, swimming to an Ohio State record time of 59.61 for second. Following in fifth was senior Ashley Vance, who registered a personal-best of 1:00.68. Sophomores Amy Bopp and Taylor Vargo both improved their times in finals, placing 13th and 14th, respectively. Their classmate Maren Reeder competed in the bonus consolation, finishing in 1:02.54.
“Rachael is in a real great place and she’s worked so hard,” Dorenkott said. “She is more than deserving of this honor. I’m not sure if I’m more proud of her performance this weekend, or how she has handled her rigorous academic schedule, as well as balancing elite-level swimming.
“Both Lindsey and Ashley had season best times,” Dorenkott continued. “They work hard, are focused and always on task. It’s good for our up-and-coming athletes to have girls such as them to look up to and realize that this didn’t happen over night. I know Lindsey cut at least 10 seconds off her time from Big Tens last year, and Ashley has been swimming the 100 breaststroke at Big Tens since she was a freshman.”
Ohio State qualified two divers – Taylor Ford and Brittany Menninger - for the championship final of the 3-meter springboard event. Ford, a senior this season, earned a total score of 340.10 to claim fifth in the standings. Rookie Brittany Menninger placed seventh with a score of 317.95. Ohio State was one of only two schools with multiple divers represented in the championship session.
In the 100 backstroke, Li earned fifth in the championship final with a time of 53.08. Her teammates Camey Rabold, Zulal Zeren and Erin Dunseith suited up in the bonus consolation final of the event, with Rabold and Zeren achieving season-best times.
All eight Buckeyes who competed in prelims of the 200 freestyle posted season-best marks. Junior Katy Lunchansky, sophomore Kaitlyn Ferrara, Jongekrijg, sophomore Chanel Wynn and freshman Kathleen Cook placed among the conference’s Top 50. Three rookies – Paige Kelly, McNichols and Cheyenne Meek also represented Ohio State in the event.
Penn State
Alyson Ackman (Montreal, Quebec) led Penn State on the third day of competition at the 2015 Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships Friday, placing third in the 200-yard freestyle. As a team the Nittany Lions are seventh with one day to go.
Ackman touched the wall in 1:44.99 in the 200 free, while Caitlyn Karr (Reading, Pa.) was 14th in 1:47.15. Taylor Cameron (Burlington, Ontario) was the only other Lion to reach the championship finals on the day, and she placed seventh in the 100 breaststroke in 1:01.19. She was followed by teammates Melissa Rodriguez (Chihuahua,Mexico) in 10th (1:01.19) and Haley Sinatro (West Hartford, Conn.) in 15th (1:01.69).
Ackman and Cameron also contributed to a fifth-place finish in the 400 medley relay. Carolyn Fittin (Sea Girt, N.J.) and Katelyn Miller (Hershey, Pa.) swam the final two legs, touching in 3:35.35.
Fittin led the Lions in the 100 butterfly, placing ninth in 53.53, while Katie Rowe was 17th in 54.06.
Additionally, Casey Francis (East Meadow, N.Y.) led PSU in the 400 IM, placing 20th in 4:18.28, and Casey Fazio (Washington Township, N.J.) and Anna Farnsworth (State College, Pa.) finished in 21st (54.81) and 22nd (54.88), respectively in the 100 backstroke. Mackenzie Cornell (Germantown, Md.) and Meredith Harbison (Butler, Pa.) both competed in the 1-meter and 3-meter dives on Thursday and Friday, respectively, but neither advanced to the finals.
Penn State dropped from fifth to seventh in the team standings, and has totaled 224 points.
Rutgers
In the third day of competition at the Big Ten Championships, the Rutgers women's swimming and diving team recorded its third school record of the meet, registering a program-high in the 400 medley relay on Friday night at the Mike Peppe Natatorium.
Following a record-breaking performance in the 200 medley relay on opening night, the quartet of junior Joanna Wu (Kent, Wash.), senior Greta Leberfinger (Chatham, N.J.), junior Morgan Pfaff (Red Lion, Pa.) and junior Sarah Coyne (Osceola, Ind.) checked off another record in the books. The group re-established the program record in the 400 medley relay with a sixth-place time of 3:37.64, marking RU's third record broken in as many days and first top-10 finish at the championships.
The previous record of 3:39.84 had been held by Wu, Leberfinger and former Scarlet Knights Brittany Guinee and Mary Moser. The group posted the time at the 2014 American Athletic Conference Championships.
In addition to contributing to the relay, Wu posted a sixth-place finish in the championship finals of the 100 backstroke with a season-best time of 53.14. It marked the first top-10 finish for RU in an individual event.
Leberfinger registered a season-high of her own in the 100 breaststroke, hitting the wall at 1:01.56 and placing 12th in the field.
On the boards, freshman Addison Walkowiak (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) placed 12th in the 3-meter dive with a score of 296.30.
After day three of competition, Minnesota remains atop the leaderboard with a score of 421.5, followed by Indiana in second (374) and Michigan in third (331.5). Rutgers moved back into 11th place in the rankings
Wisconsin
The Big Ten has officially been put on watch.
Another dominant relay display and Ivy Martin continuing her meet to remember fueled the Wisconsin swimming and diving women to their fourth and fifth conference titles at the 2015 Big Ten Women's Championships on Friday in Columbus, Ohio.
Getting things off to the right start in the third day of finals at the meet was Annie Tamblyn, Anna Meinholz, Dana Grindall and Ivy Martin, who edged out Michigan in an exciting race to claim the 400-yard medley relay crown. Clocking in at three minutes, 33.27 seconds, the Badgers posted the sixth-fastest time in program history and punched yet another UW ticket to the NCAA championships with an NCAA 'A' cut.
"This was the best session we've had in the four years I've been here," UW head coach Whitney Hite said. "The relay was just unbelievable. We were rolling, and this is the reason why we do it. I'm just so proud of these women. This is one of the hardest working teams in the country. So for them to swim fast and see the fruits of their labor, they truly deserve it."
Wisconsin’s momentum was brought right back into the pool with Martin for the 100-yard butterfly final, as the Madison, Wisconsin, native won her second individual crown and fifth title overall at the 2015 Big Ten Championships. The senior team captain won with her time of 52.01, but that came after first breaking her own school record in preliminaries with a time of 51.76.
Including her newest titles, Martin has now won the title in each of the five events she has competed in at this season's championship meet. In the matter of three days, Martin has compiled Big Ten titles in the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard butterfly, 200-yard freestyle relay, 200-yard medley relay and 400-yard medley relay.
"What we're witnessing here is one of the greatest swimmers ever, on any team," Hite said. "It's fun to be a part of this. The assistant coaches also deserve a lot of credit for developing her into who she is. There's a reason why Ivy is ranked 12th in the world in the 50-yard freestyle. For her to be able to come back and win the butterfly just shows how much she has grown.
"Freshman year, there was no way she was thinking about winning that Big Ten title. Now, here she is."
Earning a podium finish of her own in the 100 butterfly was sophomore Grindall, who finished in third place with a personal best and NCAA 'B' cut time of 52.31. The Orange, Connecticut, native also claimed the second-fastest time in program history.
Wisconsin rewrote school annals for the 400-yard individual medley, thanks to all four Badgers recording an NCAA `B' cut. Leading the way for UW was Madison native and senior team captain Aja Van Hout, who captured third place in 4:09.89, a personal record and the second-fastest time in program history. Sophomore Danielle Valley won the consolation final in 4:11.25 and climbed her way onto the school record board by notching the third-fastest swim in UW history. Madeline Hazle, a sophomore out of Kingwood, Texas, won the `C' final in 4:15.23, a personal best of her own and the eighth-fastest time ever by a Badger. Junior Jenny Holtzen nabbed 15th place after her preliminaries time of 4:15.64 went down as a personal best and the ninth-fastest time in program history.
The breaststroke duo of Meinholz and Maria Carlson have led the Badgers all season long, and their hard work came to fruition Friday, as each earned NCAA `B' cuts. Maria Carlson, a sophomore out of Livermore, California, won the consolation final in 1:00.74, a personal best and the second-fastest time in program history. Oconomowoc native Meinholz finished sixth with a personal best time of 1:00.80, the third-fastest mark in UW history.
Ann Arbor, Michigian, native Tamblyn won the consolation final of the 100-yard backstroke in 54.02. Sophomore Madison Blaydes swam to a 20th-place finish with a personal best and NCAA `B' cut time of 54.71.
In the 200-yard freestyle, freshman Hannah James finished in 18th place and finished in an NCAA `B' cut time of 1:47.81.
For the UW diving team, Ashley Peterson finished 14th on the 3-meter board in the consolation final with a score of 301.75.
Through the third day of competition at the Big Ten championships, Wisconsin sits in fourth place with 299 points. The last time the Badgers earned a top-four finish at the conference championships was 2012.
"We're swimming out of our minds, but we can only control what we can control," Hite said. "We've just got to keep rolling. We're in a fight for more points, but it's a good thing because this is a tough team."
