Minnesota claimed the 2015 Big Ten Women’s Swimming & Diving Championship Saturday at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion on the campus of Ohio State University. The title marks the Gophers’ fourth consecutive and seventh overall.
Minnesota compiled 618.5 total points throughout the four-day event. Indiana finished second after collecting 591 points and Michigan was third with 478.5 points. Wisconsin finished fourth with 448 points, while Purdue recorded 388 points to finish fifth.
The Gophers took home individual titles in the 400-yard individual medley, 100- and 200-yard breaststroke and the one- and three-meter diving events.
Wisconsin’s Ivy Martin was named Swimmer of the Championships, while Minnesota’s Yu Zhou was tabbed Diver of the Championships. Indiana’s Kennedy Goss claimed Freshman of the Year honors.
The complete 2015 All-Big Ten Teams and Sportsmanship Award honorees are listed below.
2015 Big Ten Individual Honors
Swimmer of the Championships: Ivy Martin, Wisconsin
Diver of the Championships: Yu Zhou, Minnesota
Freshman of the Year: Kennedy Goss, Indiana
2015 All-Big Ten Teams
First Team
Gia Dalesandro, Indiana
Kennedy Goss, Indiana
Haley Lips, Indiana
Jessica Parratto, Indiana
Brooklynn Snodgrass, Indiana
Grace Vertigans, Indiana
Rebecca Stoughton, Iowa
Clara Smiddy, Michigan
Kierra Smith, Minnesota
Brooke Zeiger, Minnesota
Yu Zhou, Minnesota
Dana Grindall, Wisconsin
Chase Kinney, Wisconsin
Ivy Martin, Wisconsin
Anna Meinholz, Wisconsin
Annie Tamblyn, Wisconsin
Aja Van Hout, Wisconsin
Second Team
Alexandria Deloof, Michigan
Gabrielle Deloof, Michigan
Madeline Frost, Michigan
Claudia Goswell, Michigan
Emily Kopas, Michigan
Zoe Mattingly, Michigan
Gillian Ryan, Michigan
Katy Etterman, Minnesota
Danielle Nack, Minnesota
Rebecca Weiland, Minnesota
Lindsey Clary, Ohio State
Rachael Dzierzak, Ohio State
Zhesi Li, Ohio State
Ashley Vance, Ohio State
Alyson Ackman, Penn State
Carolyn Fittin, Penn State
Katelyn Miller, Penn State
Kaitlin Saloky Penn State
Sportsmanship Award Honorees
Megan Marchuk, Illinois
Samantha Lisy, Indiana
Pam Breitrick, Iowa
Molly Schaefer, Michigan
Cristee Cordes, Michigan State
Christie Clarke, Minnesota
Ciara Jenkins, Nebraska
Emily Launer, Northwestern
Camey Rabold, Ohio State
Megan Siverling, Penn State
Francesca Marr, Purdue
Greta Leberfinger, Rutgers
Aja Van Hout, Wisconsin
Illinois
The Illinois swimming and diving team wrapped up the Big Ten Swimming and Diving Championships with another strong day of competition. The Illini posted one school record and seven performances that changed the all-times lists, ending the weekend in 12th place.
“Going into the day we talked about all of the opportunities that would be presented today and how they would respond,” stated head coach Sue Novitsky. “Would they take charge no matter their circumstances or be bitter that things may not be going the way they think they are supposed to go? We wanted to see that willingness to battle and hurt. Overall, the team stepped up and kept fighting for those spots. We had some people gain finals experience in a meet where that is hard to get.”
In the platform diving event, Raquel Corniuk broke her own school record with a preliminary score of 254.85. That score also qualified her for the consolation finals in which she finished 16th.
“Raquel reset her school record in platform diving and made it into the consolation finals,” Novitsky noted. “She has been working hard all year and to have her put together a consistent list of dives and score for the team as a freshman is outstanding.
In the 200 breast, Samantha Stratford also qualified for Saturday’s night session with a preliminary time of 2:16.30. Lori Lynn did the same in the 200 fly, posting a time of 2:01.03 in prelims. Lynn’s prelim time was the second-fastest by an individual in Illinois’ history until she bettered it with a performance of 2:00.46 in finals. The finals time is still the second-best in history.
“Samantha and Lori each earned second swims and valuable final experience today,” Novitsky proclaimed.
In the 1,650 free, Amelia Schilling finished in 16:47.63, becoming the third-fastest individual in Illinois history. Her 1,000 free split of 10:08.40 was also good enough to make her the sixth-fastest swimmer in school history.
In the 200 back, Sloane McDermott was the top performer for Illinois, completing the event in 2:00.46. That performance moves her into sixth on the event list. Hailey Booth also joined a top-10 list. She became the ninth-fastest individual in the 200 fly with her 2:02.48 performance.
The 400 free relay of Alison Meng, Gabbie Stecker, Gabrielle Bethke and Megan Marchuk closed out the championships for the Illini with the fifth-best time in school history. They completed the event in 3:22.32.
“I am extremely proud of my seniors that put in four years of effort for the team and university,” Novitsky concluded. “They kept competing to the end and wanted nothing less than to perform their best for their teammates. They are terrific ambassadors for the university and I thank them for their desire to make the program grow and get better.”
Indiana
Victories for Indiana swimmers and divers in the 200 backstroke, 200 butterfly and platform led the Hoosiers to a second-place finish at the 2015 Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships in Columbus, Ohio.
The Hoosiers finished with 591 points, just behind champion Minnesota’s score of 618.5.
Indiana’s dominance in the backstroke showed tonight as the Hoosiers placed five in the championship final, led by junior Brooklynn Snodgrass who picked up her third-straight title in the event with a time of 1:50.60. That is a new Big Ten Meet Record and the third-fastest time in IU history. Taking third in the race was senior Allie Day with a time of 1:54.14, while senior Cynthia Pammett was fourth in 1:54.40. Freshman Marie Chamberlain capped off an impressive meet with a seventh-place finish (1:55.87), followed by Justine Ress in eighth (1:55.92).
Senior Dorina Szekeres won the consolation final of the 200 back in 1:56.42, while junior Shelby Carroll was 15th (1:59.54). Freshman Rachel Matsumura earned a second swim in the bonus final, finishing 19th overall 1:57.85.
Sophomore Gia Dalesandro defended her title in the 200 butterfly, clocking a time of 1:55.10. That goes down as the third-fastest time in school history. In prelims she went 1:55.16, which ranks fourth. She was joined in the championship final by sophomore Bailey Pressey, who took third in 1:56.54. Freshman Reagan Cook contributed to the points total, finishing 15th in 2:00.36. Sophomore Olivia Barker was 18th overall after going 1:59.45 in the bonus final. Sam Lisy was 30th in a career best 2:02.69, while Carroll placed 41st in 2:05.16.
It was a record-setting night for Jessica Parratto on the platform as the freshman obliterated the Big Ten record with a score of 424.45. That tops the old record of 390.05 set by Hoosier Amy Cozad in 2013. Junior Lacey Houser took 21st with 207.90 points.
Junior Haley Lips showed her versatility by finishing fifth in the 1,650 freestyle with a career time of 16:06.85. That goes along with her second-place showings in the 200 free and 500 free earlier in the meet. Sophomore Stephanie Marchuk also clocked a career best, placing ninth in 16:12.32.
Lips, Kennedy Goss, Grace Vertigans and Snodgrass combined to set a new school record in the 400 freestyle, posting a 3:15.75 to finish third. That is almost a second faster that the previous mark of 3:16.70 set at last year’s Big Ten meet.
Goss wrapped up her first Big Ten meet with a seventh-place finish in the 100 freestyle, going 48.88. That is tied for the fifth-fastest time in IU history and just off her prelim swim of 48.69. That time ranks second all-time for IU.
Goss advanced to the championship final in each of her events at the Big Ten Championships, winning the 200 free, 500 free, 800 freestyle relay, placing third in the 400 free relay and seventh in the 100 free. That performance earned her Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors. Goss is the third-straight Hoosier to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, joining Snodgrass (2013) and Dalesandro (2014).
Vertigans put up a career-best 49.16 to finish 10th in the 100 freestyle, while Holly Spears was 22nd (50.25) and Barnard 23rd (50.32). Gabriela Rajic placed 35th with a career time of 50.27, while Ali Rockett was 40th with her career best of 50.44. Kaitlin Kitchens posted a career best of 50.71, good for 45th.
Claudia Di Capua placed 43rd in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:21.78, while Taylor Truex went a career best 2:25.71, finishing 51st.
Earning first-team All-Big Ten honors were Dalesandro, Goss, Lips, Parratto, Snodgrass and Vertigans.
Indiana now turns its attention to the 2015 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, March 18-21 in Greensboro, N.C.
Iowa
University of Iowa senior Becky Stoughton capped the fourth and final day at the Big Ten Championships with a Big Ten title in the 1,650-freestyle. Stoughton touched out with a personal best and UI record-setting time of 15:57.43, besting her previous mark of 16:03.42 set in 2012. The Forest City, Iowa, native’s first-place finish marks the Hawkeyes’ first title since Melissa Loehndorf claimed the 200-butterfly championship in 2001.
"I'm proud of Becky's performances this weekend," said UI head coach Marc Long. "She battled back, overcame adversity, and had a tremendous senior year at the Big Ten Championships capped off with a thrilling victory in the 1,650-freestyle."
"Coach (Nathan) Mundt did a tremendous job with her training this year and athletic trainer Mike Lawler deserves recognition for his work with her over the years. I'm proud of our entire staff and program this weekend."
Stoughton wasn’t the only Hawkeye to swim fast. Freshman Meghan Lavelle finished 21st in the 200-backstroke finals -- touching out with a personal-best time of 1:58.15, a mark that ranks third in UI history. Allison Orvis also finished in the top-30 among the field of 59, posting a time of 1:59.43.
In the 100-freestyle prelims, junior Olivia Kabacinski claimed a top-30 finish coming in at 28th with a time of 50.24. Junior Nikol Lagodzinska followed behind touching in at the 51.15 mark and sophomore Serena Wanasek hit the wall at 51.26.
Sophomore Emma Sougstad had an eighth-place showing in the 200 breast finals, posting a time of 2:13.07. Junior Colleen Champa finished shortly after (2:16.19).
In the 200-butterfly, Stoughton added to her Big Ten title with a top-20 showing, placing 16th with a time of 2:00.74. Tereysa Lehnertz recorded a personal-best time of 2:00.84 and finished 23rd among the field of 50.
The quartet of Kabacinski, Sougstad, Lavelle, and Stoughton capped the swimming events with a 10th-place finish in the 400 free relay. The foursome touched out with a time of 3:21.34.
In the diving well , sophomore Lydia Lehnert shined in the prelims setting a UI school record off the platform. Lehnert dove to a personal-best score of 312.20, besting her previous score of 257.90. The Frederick, Maryland, native finished sixth in the finals, posting a score of 292.40. Senior Calli head was close behind diving to an eighth-place finish (278.90).
“Lydia was outstanding in the prelims setting a personal-best and school record off the platform. That talent is what we see in practice and I was happy she was able to bring that performance today.
“I couldn’t be happier with our girls tonight,” said UI diving coach Todd Waikel. “We got two divers in the finals and set a school record which was exciting to watch. It’s our goal to get to the finals session and battle once we get there. These girls continue to improve, learn, and grow as divers and I’m happy they’ve been able to put it all together.”
Capping the final day of the 2015 Big Ten Championships, Iowa leaves the four-day event with 10 new UI swimming records in addition to one on the diving end. The Hawkeyes also claim an eighth-place finish with 223 points. Minnesota (618.5) and Indiana (591) claimed the top two positions.
Minnesota
Minnesota claimed its fourth-straight Big Ten Women's Swimming and Diving Championship Saturday night at Ohio State's McCorkle Aquatic Pavillion, totaling 618.5 points over the four day meet. Indiana was a close second with 591 points, testing Minnesota after the 200 backstroke finals where the Hoosiers had five swimmers in the Championship final. The Gophers relied on depth to pull through, with the seniors on the Minnesota squad winning the crown each of their four years, leaving a great legacy. The University of Michigan was third with 478.5 points and Wisconsin was fourth with 448 points. This is the University of Minnesota's seventh team title overall, which ranks second behind Michigan's 14. The Gophers became the first University of Minnesota women's athletic program to win four consecutive Big Ten titles.
The Gophers took home five individual titles including the 400 individual medley with freshman Brooke Zeiger, Kierra Smith's sweep of the 100 and 200 breaststroke events for the second-straight year and one-meter and three-meter diving events from sophomore Yu Zhou.
Wisconsin's Ivy Martin was named the Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships for the second straight year, while Golden Gopher Yu Zhou was selected as Big Ten Diver of the Championships. Zhou took home the gold on the one-meter and three-meter diving events and placed second in platform diving. Indiana's Kennedy Goss was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
The Golden Gophers began the final night of competition with the 1650 freestyle. Freshman Brooke Zeiger took home the bronze with a time of 16:03.94. Teammate Samantha Harding followed for fourth with a time of 16:06.71. Kiera Janzen finished tenth with a time of 16:12.48 in the 1650. Freshman Brooke Lorentzen also scored for the Gophers, placing 14th with a time of 16:21.19. Sophomore Breanne Siwicki competed in the 1650, placing 24th with a time of 16:44.72.
With no swimmers competing in tonight's 200 backstroke finals, the Indiana Hoosiers made their move. Indiana had an impressive five swimmers in the Championship final, including the first-place finish from Brooklyn Snodgrass. After that event, the Gophers had 482 points behind Indiana's 462.5.
Junior Lauren Votava led Minnesota to a fourth place finish in the 100 freestyle. Votava finished with a 48.64, while senior Becca Weiland finished eighth with a time of 48.99. Competing in the consolation final of the 100 free was senior Jessica Plant, who placed 15th with a time of 50.02. Sophomores Abigail Raatz and Maddie Hoch raced in the C final of the 100 free. Raatz placed 17th with a time of 49.59. Hoch finished 20th with a 50.09.
Kierra Smith defended her Big Ten title in the 200 breaststroke, posting a time of 2:05.69. The time was a new Big Ten record, meet record and pool record at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion. The junior has swept the breaststroke events for the past two years.
Freshman Danielle Nack posted an incredible 1:56.31 to record a personal best and take home the silver medal. Devin Ste. Marie had a 1:57.06 for fifth place to collect more points for Minnesota.
Minnesota had three divers in the platform diving Championships, the most of any team. Yu Zhou, who claimed the Big Ten titles on both the one-meter and three-meter boards took home the silver medal with 371.80 points, securing her as the Big Ten Diver of the Championships. Lexi Tenenbaum finished fifth with a score of 312 points and Jessica Ramberg finished seventh after totaling 286.10 points. During the consolation final of platform diving, senior Katy Etterman placed 13th with 286 points.
To finish the meet, Wisconsin picked up the win in the 400 freestyle relay, giving the Badgers four out five relay wins. The Minnesota relay team of Lauren Votava, Rebecca Weiland, Jessica Plant and Tori Simenec finished fourth with a time of 3:16.30.
The University of Minnesota will head to Greensboro, North Carolina to compete at the 2015 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships from March 19-21.
Nebraska
Nicole Schwery earned ninth in the platform dive, Julia Roller finished 10th in the 200-yard butterfly and the Nebraska swimming and diving team wrapped up competition at the 2015 Big Ten Championships on Saturday evening at Ohio State's McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion.
Nebraska finished in ninth place, overall, scoring 143 points. The squad also finished ninth in 2014 and 2013 following an 11th-place finish in 2012.
Saturday evening's session began with Katt Sickle swimming a career-best 16:51.41 in the 1,650-yard freestyle, earning 30th-place. Aimee Fischer also swam a career-best 17:14.69, earning a 38th-place finish.
Taryn Collura continued her strong meet, racing to a time of 49.75 in the 100-yard freestyle, earning a 14th-place finish. Collura earned an NCAA B cut in both the preliminary and final rounds Saturday.
In the 200-yard breaststroke, Nebraska had two top-20 finishers. Jordan Ehly swam a career-best 2:14.58 capturing a 16th-place finish. Samantha Hardewig raced to a time of 2:15.87, earning 20th-place. Hardewig's performance in the finals was a season-best time.
Julia Roller and Natalie Morris both earned top-20 finishes in the 200-yard butterfly. Roller posted a career-best time of 1:58.54, earning 10th-place. Morris also swam a career-best time of 1:59.70, securing a 20th-place finish.
In the diving well, Nicole Schwery posted a career-best score of 310.80 in the platform dive, earning a ninth-place finish.
In the final event of the meet, the team of Taryn Collura, Bria Deveaux, Erin Oeltjen and Alex Bilunas earned a ninth-place finish in the 400-yard
freestyle relay. The team posted a time of 3:20.91.
Overall, Nebraska had nine individual top-16 finishers and 18 top-24 performances over the seven sessions of the meet. Anna Filipcic led Nebraska, capturing top-three finishes in the one- and three-meter dives.
Ohio State
On the fourth and final day of the 2015 Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, Ohio State placed sixth with a point total of 350. Hosted by the Buckeyes at McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion, the team had an outstanding meet overall, earning six school records and 12 Top 5 finishes. Minnesota was crowned the champion of the Big Ten Conference with 618.5 points, while Indiana claimed second. Michigan, Wisconsin and Purdue rounded out the conference’s Top 5.
“The takeaways from the meet and things that we’re excited about are the kids that are performing at a high level,” Ohio State head women’s swimming coach Bill Dorenkott said. “So many of those performances have been built over months and years of hard work. It’s gratifying to see them be rewarded for their efforts.
“We had some really nice NCAA ‘A’ cut times,” Dorenkott continued. “This may be the most ‘A’ cut times we’ve had since I’ve been here at Ohio State and we will send some great athletes to NCAAs this year. Where we are as a team and a program, although we’re very young, is really special.”
Sophomore Lindsey Clary kicked off finals with a runner-up finish in the 1650 freestyle. Clary blew away a 25-year school record in the event with a time of 16:03. Former Buckeye Susan Gottlieb previously held the mark (16:14.53). Rookie Paige Kelly also swam the mile, improving on her season-best time with a 16:42.72.
Posting a season-best time of 1:56.45, sophomore Zulal Zeren placed 10th in the 200 backstroke. She was followed closely in the consolation final by teammate junior Annie Gillig, who claimed 14th in 1:57.54. Junior Camey Rabold competed in the bonus consolation, earning an NCAA ‘B’ cut time of 1:58.80. In prelims, three Buckeyes – Kaitlyn Ferrara, Lauren Davis and Erin Dunseith – earned season-best times.
In the 100 freestyle, freshman phenom Zhesi Li swam to a fifth-place finish in 48.73, a season best. Junior Annie Jongekrijg also picked up points for the Buckeyes in the event, taking 12th in 49.51. Ohio State had seven more swimmers compete in prelims of the event, with all seven clocking season-best marks.
Sophomore Taylor Vargo became the 12th Buckeye to collect a Top 5 finish, placing fifth in the 200 breaststroke in 2:10.38. She was just off her own school record time of 2:10.35 in the event. Senior Ashley Vance and sophomore Amy Bopp placed back-to-back in the consolation final with season-best marks for 13th and 14th, respectively. In the bonus consolation, sophomore Maren Reeder posted a season-best time of 2:15.32. Freshman Katie Antal suited up in prelims, swimming a 2:18.55, which was approximately three seconds under her previous fastest time this season.
Ohio State concluded the meet with a sixth-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay. The quartet of Li, Jongekrijg, Rachael Dzierzak and Aliena Schmidtke touched in a time of 3:17.06, a season best.
In platform diving, senior Taylor Ford qualified for the consolation final where she contributed five points toward the team score with a 12th-place showing. Ford posted a finals score of 289.95, improving on her total from prelims.
A pair of rookies – Amanda McNulty and Meg Bailey – donned the Scarlet and Gray in prelims, with Bailey registering a season-best time.
Penn State
Melissa Rodriguez (Chihuahua, Mexico) placed third and Megan Siverling (Chester Springs, Pa.) set a new school record to lead Penn State on the final day of competition at the 2015 Big Ten Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships Saturday in the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion. As a team, Penn State finished seventh with 334 points.
Alyson Ackman (Montreal, Quebec), Carolyn Fittin (Sea Girt, N.J.), Katelyn Miller (Hershey, Pa.) and Katie Saloky (Bloomsburg, Pa.) earned All-Big Ten second team honors for strong performances throughout the four-day competition, while Siverling was Penn State’s recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Minnesota won the team title and was followed by Indiana and Michigan in the top three.
Siverling’s performance started the evening off for the Nittany Lions, as she placed sixth in the 1650-yard freestyle in a school-record 16:07.55, breaking her own record from a year ago of 16:08.90. Katelyn Sowinski (Severna Park, Md.) was 15th in 16:23.71 and Casey Francis (East Meadow, N.Y.) was 16th in 16:24.87.
Rodriguez placed third in the 200 breaststroke in 2:09.87, while Taylor Cameron (Burlington, Ontario) was 12th in 2:12.37.
Alyson Ackman (Montreal, Quebec) continued a strong week, placing sixth in the 100 freestyle in 48.87, while Fittin placed 11th in 49.17.
Ackman led off the 400 freestyle relay, and was joined by Fittin, Kaitlin Jones (Midlothian, Va.) and Saloky in a near school-record of time 3:16.48 to place fifth.
Katie Rowe (Glenville, N.Y.) and Sowinski placed consecutively in seventh and eighth, respectively, in the 200 butterfly, while Hannah Harper was 14th in 1:59.61. Additionally, Casey Fazio (Washington Township, Pa.) led the Lions in the 200 backstroke, placing 18th in 1:57.74.
The NCAA Diving A Regional Championships are next, Mar. 9-11, in New Brunswick, N.J., while the NCAA Championships will take place Mar. 19-21 in Greensboro, N.C.
Rutgers
Behind four record-breaking performances, the Rutgers women’s swimming and diving team finished 11th overall in its first appearance at the Big Ten Championships at the Bill and Mae McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion in Columbus, Ohio. The meet will re-air on Big Ten Network Sunday at 9 a.m.
Minnesota claimed the title for the fourth consecutive year and the seventh time overall. Indiana finished second, followed by Michigan in third.
Contributing to three of the four records, senior Greta Leberfinger (Chatham, N.J.) was named Second-Team All-Big Ten following her performance in the meet. Leberfinger also earned the Sportsmanship Award for Rutgers.
REWRITING THE RECORD BOOK
Rutgers recorded a total of four program records in as many days at the meet.
The record book did not stand a chance against the relay quartet of Leberfinger and juniors Joanna Wu (Kent, Wash.), Morgan Pfaff (Red Lion, Pa.) and Sarah Coyne(Osceola, Ind.). On opening night, the group posted a program-best time of 1:40.05 in the 200 medley relay for an 11th-place finish.
The crew did not stop there as they went on to break the record for the 400 medley relay, posting a sixth-place result of 3:37.64 and registering the first top-10 finish of the championship for RU.
Leberfinger re-established her own record in 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:11.38, finishing ninth in the field en route to All-Big Ten Second Team accolades. The senior had set the record last season with the mark of 2:13.06.
On the boards, freshman Addison Walkowiak (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) added a record of her own, registering a program-high championship score of 305.25 in the 1-meter dive for a 12th-place finish. Walkowiak also posted a 12th-place mark of 296.30 in the 3-meter dive.
INDIVIDUAL BESTS FOR THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
Individually, 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. Wu also contributed a 16th-place finish in the 200 back with a season-high 2:01.03.
Leberfinger posted her own season-high in the 100 breaststroke, hitting the wall at 1:01.56 and placing 12th in the field.
Pfaff put up a season-best 2:00.87 in the 200 individual medley to earn a 13th-place finish. In the 200 butterfly, Pfaff added another season-high time of 1:58.76 in the event.
RELAY PERFORMANCES
Rutgers placed 11th in both the 800 freestyle relay and the 200 freestyle relay and 12th in the 400 freestyle relay.
The group of freshman Emily Erwin (Jenkintown, Pa.), sophomore Chantal Asselin (Winnipeg, MB, Canada), Wu and Pfaff registered a time of 7:15.68 in the 800 free relay. The quartet of Coyne, Wu Meghan Kiely (Mountain Lakes, N.J.) and freshman Karli Rymer (Long Branch, N.J.) teamed up for a season-high 1:32.12 in the 200 free relay.
The 400 free relay team brought in another season-best with a 12th-place time of 3:22.42.
REACHING FOR MORE
RU swimmers will have one more meet to post NCAA qualifying scores on Sunday, Mar. 1 at Princeton.
The Scarlet Knight divers return to action at the Zone Diving Championships from Monday, Mar. 9 to Wednesday, Mar. 11 in Buffalo, N.Y. for a chance to compete at the 2015 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships
Wisconsin
Heading into the final day of competition at the 2015 Big Ten Women's Championships, the Wisconsin women's swimming and diving team had its sights set on going out strong.
Collecting two more Big Ten titles, the Badgers punctuated an impressive championship meet, as Ivy Martin defended her crown in the 100-yard freestyle and UW's 400-yard freestyle relay did the same in the day's final event in Columbus, Ohio.
Ending with a total of 448 points, Wisconsin placed fourth in the Big Ten championship team standings, marking UW's best finish since 2012.
Martin was also named Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships for the second-consecutive year after going a flawless 7-for-7 and winning titles in each event she was a part of.
The relay squad of Chase Kinney, Martin, Aja Van Hout and Annie Tamblyn reset their own Big Ten and school records in the 400 freestyle relay in dominant fashion, winning the conference title a second-straight year. With a time of three minutes, 12.96 seconds, the group won by an astounding 2.26 seconds to underline a remarkable week of competition for the program. UW's relay time also earned the group an NCAA 'A' cut and spot in the NCAA championships.
In all, Wisconsin won four out of the six relay events at the Big Ten championships.
"It was the perfect end to an unbelievably great meet," UW head coach Whitney Hite said. "Relays are very important, so we put a lot of emphasis on them. The fun part is that we really have the opportunity to score well at the next level (NCAAs)."
Thanks to UW's domination of the relay events, six Badgers earned first-team All-Big Ten accolades: Dana Grindall, Kinney, Martin, Anna Meinholz, Tamblyn and Van Hout.
Wisconsin tied for the most first-team All-Big Ten honorees with six, along with Indiana.
Martin's final individual conference event of her career came Saturday in the 100-yard freestyle, and the senior from Madison, Wisconsin, did not disappoint.
For the second-straight year, Martin captured the 100 freestyle crown, while also resetting her Big Ten, meet and school record in the event. Martin topped her previous record and claimed the top seed for finals in 47.58 during preliminaries, then went on to win in 47.75. With an NCAA 'A' cut time, Martin also clinched her spot to compete against the nation's best at the NCAA championships in March.
"It's really not surprising," Hite said of Martin's dominance. "As I've said all along, I've been around some very good swimmers and she's as good as those very, very good swimmers. People are starting to see what I believe. She's starting to believe in herself and she's helping people see what I see. I don't think there are very many, if any, swimmers in the history of the Big Ten that have gone undefeated in the championships.
"You want to talk about a dominating performance? That's as good as it gets. I'm really proud of her."
Martin ensured she will leave Wisconsin with a legacy of 12 Big Ten titles and can lay claim to the fastest woman in the Big Ten, holding individual conference records in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle.
Right behind Martin in the 100 freestyle was fellow senior team captain and Madison native, Van Hout, who earned a podium finish of her own finishing third in a personal record time of 48.60. Van Hout climbed up to third on UW's all-time list for the event.
"No one in the country works harder than Aja Van Hout," Hite said. "For her to end her senior Big Tens the way she did makes me so happy, because it's just a good thing happening to a good person."
Sophomore Kinney won the consolation final of the 100 freestyle in 48.92, recording a personal record and the sixth-fastest time ever by a Badger. Freshman Marissa Berg made it back to finals with a time of 50.22 and finished 24th place.
Grindall broke an 18-year-old school record in the 200-yard butterfly en route to finishing in sixth place. The sophomore touched in 1:57.37 during preliminaries, earning an NCAA 'B' cut and personal record. Finishing in 12th place was freshman Hannah James, who touched in 1:59.47 to earn an NCAA 'B' cut as well and the fourth-fastest swim by a Badger.
Sophomore Danielle Valley made the podium in the 1,650-yard freestyle with an eighth-place finish. Clocking in at 16:10.33, Valley now holds the second-fastest time in program history behind only Olympic gold-medalist Carly Piper. Junior Jenny Holtzen set a personal record and the fourth-fastest time in UW history with her 12th-place finish in an NCAA 'B' cut time of 16:14.97.
Just one day after holding down the 100-yard breaststroke for the Badgers, the duo of Maria Carlson and Meinholz were at it again in the 200-yard breaststroke. Carlson, a sophomore out of Livermore, California, finished seventh and her preliminaries time of 2:11.73 marked a personal record that ranks sixth on UW's all-time list. Competing in the consolation final, Meinholz tallied a personal best as well with her time of 2:11.59 to finish 10th and mark the fifth-fastest time in program history.
Sophomores Madison Blaydes and Madeline Hazle both earned NCAA 'B' cuts in the 200-yard backstroke and found their way into program annals. Blaydes finished 12th in finals and set a personal record in preliminaries with a time of 1:56.90, the sixth-fastest by a Badger. Hazle came in 22nd and her preliminaries time of 1:57.74 is a new personal record as well as the eighth-fastest time in program history.
In diving, Ashley Peterson finished 11th on the platform with a score of 292.35 competing in the consolation final. The score topped her personal record of 258.55.
"It's really fun to watch her development," Hite said of Peterson. "Anton (Slobounov) has done an awesome job developing her."
After their impressive showing at conference championships, the Wisconsin women look ahead to the 2015 NCAA Women's Championships held in Greensboro, North Carolina, from March 20-22.
"We're going to have a good group of people at NCAAs, which makes us pretty dangerous," Hite said. "Our place (fourth) in Big Tens was important, but ultimately the most important thing is the NCAA championships. We're set up well, which means we had a successful conference meet. But we won't lose sight on what's important.
"Our team goal was to score 400 points at the conference championship, and we have the smallest team in the Big Ten, but we maximized our potential and our talent. That's what it's all about."
The UW men's swimming and diving program heads to the 2015 Big Ten Men's Championships next in Iowa City, Iowa, Feb. 26 through March 1.
