Illinois
On day two of the Big Ten Championships, the Fighting Illini Swimming and Diving team competed in five events, including the 200 free, 500 free, 200 IM, 50 free and one-meter diving. UI finished with five times that ranked in the top-10 on the all-time fastest individuals list, highlighted by sophomore Samantha Stratford breaking the 200 IM school record twice on the day.
“Overall we had another good day and came out with good energy in prelims and finals,” said head coach Sue Novitsky. “The team kept up the strong performances and we finished the day with 11 lifetime best times. Gabbie Stecker came back and had a smart swim in the 500 free in finals. Sam Stratford kept it going by breaking the school record twice today in the 200 IM and earning a NCAA B standard.”
Junior Gabbie Stecker put her name in the record books twice on the day by swimming the seventh fastest 500 freestyle time in the prelims (4:50.47), as well as the third fastest time in the same event in the finals (4:48.31).
Stratford also made a splash in the Illinois record book, breaking the 200 IM school record with a preliminary time of 1:59.82. In the 200 IM finals, the sophomore improved on her time and broke her own record with a time of 1:59.69. Both times qualified for the NCAA B cut.
In the 200 freestyle relay, the team of Gabrielle Bethke, Lori Lynn, Audrey Rodawig and Kirsten Zborek swam the ninth quickest time in school history with a time of 1:32.41.
Bethke’s lead-off split in the 200 free relay moved her up into a tie for fifth on the fastest individuals list with a 50 free time of :23.29, while freshman Gabriele Serniute finished fifth on the list for the 200 IM. Senior Jennifer Coady also etched her name into a tie for 10th in the same event.
The Illini currently sit at 12th through the first seven events with a point total of 125. Competition will resume tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. CT with the preliminary rounds of the 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back and three-meter diving.
“It is going to be tough day tomorrow, but the team is staying focused and competing well,” concluded Novitsky.
Indiana
The No. 13-ranked Indiana women’s swimming and diving team added another gold medal to it’s haul at the 2016 Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships on Thursday night at the Canham Natatorium in Ann Arbor, Mich.
The Hoosiers earned one gold, a silver, and two bronze medals on Thursday night to push the team’s medal count to six through two days of competition.
Indiana sits in second place overall with a total of 406.5 points, just 17 points behind host Michigan. Ohio State (328), Minnesota (298.5) and Wisconsin (272.5) round out the top-five after two days.
In the first final of the night, the 200 freestyle relay, the team of Grace Vertigans, Ali Rockett, Holly Spears and Lilly King placed sixth with a time of 1:30.20. The time ranks fourth all-time in school history.
Simply put, Haley Lips had the best 500 freestyle swim the Big Ten has ever had on Thursday night, winning with a NCAA A cut time of 4:35.19. Lips’ mark is not only an Indiana school record, but it set the Big Ten conference record, as well as the Big Ten meet record. The impressive time was also a Canham Natatorium record.
Kennedy Goss won the consolation final of the 500 freestyle to place ninth overall, touching the wall with a NCAA B cut time of 4:41.16. Stephanie Marchuk was right behind her, placing 10th overall with a personal-best and NCAA B cut time of 4:41.19. Marchuk’s time ranks her as the eighth-fastest 200 IM swimmer in school history.
In the C Final of the 500 free, Allison Cunningham placed sixth to finish 22nd overall with a time of 4:49.00.
Indiana had an impressive six swimmers score points for the team in the 200 IM, led by the freshmen duo of Miranda Tucker and Lilly King. Tucker earned a silver medal with a personal-best and NCAA B cut time of 1:55.94. Tucker’s time is the third-fastest in IU history and ranks her as the second-fastest 200 IM swimmer at the school.
King was right behind her, touching third to earn a bronze medal with a personal-best and NCAA B cut time of 1:57.21. King’s time is the eighth-fastest in IU history and ranks her as the third-fastest 200 IM swimmer in school history.
Also, in the championship final, Gia Dalesandro took fifth place with a personal-best and NCAA B cut time of 1:57.92. Dalesandro now ranks as the sixth-fastest 200 IM swimmer in Indiana history.
In the B Final, Sam Lisy came in sixth to finish 14th overall with a NCAA B cut time of 2:00.02. In the C Final, Bailey Pressey finished third to place 19th overall with a NCAA B cut time of 1:59.83. Also in the C Final, Rachel Matsumura came in seventh to finish 23rd overall with a personal-best and NCAA B cut time of 2:00.91.
In the 50 freestyle B Final, Grace Vertigans touched fourth to place 12th overall with a NCAA B cut time of 22.81. In the C Final, Holly Spears came in a tie for fifth to place in a tie for 21st overall with a mark of 23.10.
Lacey Houser had a career-best performance in the 1-meter championship final, earning a bronze medal with her NCAA Zones qualifying score of 328.80. Houser’s great score ranks her as the fifth-best 1-meter diver in school history.
In the consolation final of the 1-meter springboard, Michal Bower took first place with a personal-best score of 312.15 to finish ninth overall. Bower’s total ranks her as the 14th-best 1-meter diver in IU history.
Iowa
The University of Iowa women's swimming and diving team is in 10th place at the Big Ten Championships with 135.5 points following the second day of competition at the Canham Natatorium.
Michigan has taken over the lead, sitting in first place with 423.5 points followed by Indiana with 406.5 points.
Iowa junior Emma Sougstad swam to a program record during the prelims of the 200-IM. She finished in third to qualify for the “a” finals with a time of 1:57.62.
Iowa started Thursday night’s finals with the 200-free relay, swimming to a 10th place finish. Sougstad, sophomore Meghan Lavelle, sophomore Mekenna Scheitlin, and sophomore Carly O’Brien touched the wall at 1:31.84.
Sougstad closed out the night for the Hawkeyes tied for sixth place in the 200-IM, sprinting to a 1:58.06 finishing time.
Minnesota
The Gophers wrapped night two of the 2016 Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Yu Zhou repeated as the 1-meter diving B1G Champion after tallying 352.45 points. Minnesota is currently in fourth place with 298.50 team points behind Michigan, Indiana and Ohio State.
The Maroon and Gold squad of Zoe Avestruz, Danielle Nack, Abigail Raatz and Lauren Votava opened night two with a fifth place finish in the 200 free relay with a time of 1:29.72.
Brooke Zeiger tied for sixth place in the 500 free with a time of 4:40.38. Senior Samantha Harding recorded a 4:45.76 for 14th.
Sophomore Nack posted a personal record of 22.50 to win the 50 free. Rookie Avestruz followed for 10th with a collegiate best of 22.77. Raatz, a junior, turned in a personal best of 22.87 for 18th overall, and Votava finished 24th (23.33).
Zhou’s first place finish on the 1-meter board was followed by a sixth place mark from senior Jessica Ramberg (310.65 points). Freshman Mariam Khamis finished 15th with a score of 285.35 and Lexi Tenenbaum finished 17th (276.15).
Nebraska
Anna Filipcic captured second-place in the one-meter dive, Taryn Collura finished seventh in the 50-yard freestyle, five Huskers notched top-24 finishes as the Nebraska swimming and diving team finished the first full day of competition at the Big Ten Championships in eighth-place. The Huskers had three swimmers, two divers and the 200-yard freestyle relay team competing in final rounds Thursday evening at the University of Michigan’s Canham Natatorium.
The 200-yard freestyle relay team of Taryn Collura, Bria Deveaux, Erin Oeltjen and Alex Bilunas got the Huskers off to a good start, swimming the fourth-fastest time in school history. Their time of 1:31.41 earned Nebraska seventh-place in the event.
In the evening's first individual event, Katt Sickle captured a 15th-place finish racing to a time of 4:48.12 in the B final of the 500-yard freestyle. Sickle swam a career-best and NCAA B Cut time in Thursday's preliminary round of the event.
Samantha Hardewig was Nebraska’s second individual competitor of the evening. Hardewig finished in 24th-place after finishing in a time of 2:01.45, earning her a NCAA B Cut in the 200-yard individual medley.
Collura turned in an outstanding performance in the 50-yard freestyle. Collura’s time of 22.74 was fast enough for a seventh-place finish and a NCAA B Cut. In Thursday morning’s preliminary round Collura swam a time of 22.51 just .1 short of breaking her own school record.
In the final event of the evening, Filipcic captured a second-place finish in the one-meter dive. Filipcic posted a score of 338.25, setting a new career-best in the event. Nicole Schwery also earned a trip to the finals, finishing in 23rd-place with a score of 259.10.
Northwestern
After leapfrogging plenty of Wildcat swimmers in the record books during the preliminary competition, Melissa Postoll (Acworth, Ga./Kennessaw Mountain) dazzled again by setting a school record in the 200 IM on Thursday afternoon.
After the second day of competition at the Big Ten Women's Swimming & Diving Championships, the 'Cats sit in ninth place with 191 points.
In the 50 free, both Annika Winsnes (Singapore/United World College) and Mary Warren (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead) picked up two NCAA 'B' cuts apiece, with Winsnes also registering a third-place performance in the consolation final in the afternoon.
Olivia Rosendahl (Los Angeles, Calif./Immaculate Heart) was the only Wildcat to register a spot in the championship final, doing so from the 1-meter springboard. She collected points for Northwestern with her eighth-place finish.
Finals Session
In the 200 free relay, the quartet of Mary Warren, Julia Pratt (Vincennes, Ind./Vincennes Rivet), Katherine Senseman (Terre Haute, Ind./Terre Haute South Vigo) and Annika Winsnes, earned a spot on the podium with their eighth-place time of 1:31.44. Their performance was a season-best time in the event and the 10th-best output in program history.
Melissa Postoll stole the show once again, improving her already-fantastic time in the 200 IM by setting a Northwestern record with her performance of 1:59.65, topping Amy Balcerzak's record of 1:59.74 that had stood since 2000. Postoll took home a third place finish in the consolation final, good for 11th place. She also registered another NCAA 'B' qualification.
Annika Winsnes capitalized on her second swim, trimming one-tenth of a second off of her already PR-setting performance, finishing in 22.78. Her time was third in the consolation final and 11th overall. Mary Warren boasted a 22.86 finish, collecting points for the 'Cats the 14th place. Both swimmers picked up another NCAA 'B' cut.
Back on the 1-meter springboard, Olivia Rosendahl racked up 297.90 points — her third-best scoring output of the season — to place eighth in the championship final.
Ohio State
Ohio State claimed two Big Ten titles during day two of the conference championships: the 200 freestyle relay and the 50 freestyle.
In the first finals event of the second day, the foursome of Liz Li, Annie Jongekrijg, Rachael Dzierzak, and Macie McNichols combined for a time of 1:28.29, which was notable on several levels. First and foremost, they became the first Buckeye relay team since 1991 to place first at Big Tens. In the process, they also clinched a spot at the NCAA Championships, swimming nearly one full second faster than the NCAA A cutline. Finally, the performance set a new Ohio State record as well as a new pool record. This same group of four held the previous school record as well, set during the postseason last year.
The other Big Ten Championship performance came from Li in the 50 freestyle. Earlier in the day, the sophomore swam a time of 21.73 during prelims to set a new Ohio State record and solidify herself as the favorite going into tonight’ finals. Li then swam a 21.80 to take home the 50 free crown, becoming the first Buckeye to win a Big Ten title in an individual event since 2014 and the first to win the 50 free since 1982. Perhaps even more impressive was that Li’s split in the 200 freestyle relay was 21.63.
Joining Li towards the top of the standings were her teammates Macie McNichols (22.51, 4th place) and Jongekrijg (22.60, 6th place). Ohio State was the only school with three swimmers in the top 10 of the final 50 free standings.
Outside of those two events, the other biggest performance came in the 500 freestyle. Lindsey Clary, coming off a new school record that she set during prelims, set another new OSU mark during the Finals with her time of 4:39.09.
Several other Buckeyes managed to score points for Ohio State during a big day two. Kaitlyn Ferrara (4:47.32) finished in 18th in the 500 freestyle, one spot ahead of teammate Katy Luchansky (4:47.55). Meg Bailey was the lone Buckeye to record points in the finals of the 200 IM, placing 9th with her time of 1:58.69. Aside from the three names previously mentioned, there were two other swimmers to earn points in the finals of the 50 free and, funnily enough, both tied a swimmer from another school. Dzierzak finished in a tie for 15th with a time of 22.95 and Emily Albrecht finished in a tie for 21st with a mark of 23.10.
Making her Big Ten Championships debut, Hannah Thek finished 18th and second in the C finals with a score of 276.00 on the one-meter dive.
It was a big day for Ohio State, which finished the day in third place in the overall standings by a comfortable margin.
Penn State
Senior Alyson Ackman (Montreal, Quebec) had a hand in a pair of top five finishes to lead No. 25 Penn State Thursday at the Big Ten Swimming and Diving Championships in Canham Natatorium. The Nittany Lions rank sixth as a team with 271.5 points.
No. 22 Minnesota and No. 12 Wisconsin used strong efforts in the 1-meter dive to move ahead of Penn State. Minnesota sits fourth with 298.5 points while the Badgers hold just a one point advantage over the Nittany Lions for fifth.
“We’re right in the thick of it with Minnesota, Wisconsin and Purdue,” said head coach Tim Murphy. “My first reaction is we had a solid day and that we need to be better as a team tomorrow morning. We just have to get more swims in at night and more swims in A-finals. It’s just kind of a fact, there’s nothing negative about it, we just have to get ourselves in a position to score more points and stay with them.”
Individually, Ackman placed fifth in the 50 freestyle, swimming a personal best 22.53 in the preliminaries and touching in 22.59 in the evening finals. She also led off the Nittany Lions’ 200 free relay effort, which placed fourth in a season-best 1:29.41 with help from Katie Saloky (Bloomsburg, Pa.), Haley Sinatro (West Hartford, Conn.) and Kaitlin Jones.
“[Aly] is our captain and she’s our leader,” said Murphy. “She knows how prepare herself and she responds. She’s just been real solid as you would expect her to be, and tomorrow’s a big day for her with the 200 free.”
Katie Rowe (Glenville, N.Y.) also reached an A-final, ultimately tying for sixth in the 200 IM in a personal best 1:58.06 to rank as the third fastest performer in the event in Penn State history. Niki Price (Manchester, Pa.) also swam a personal record race to place 10th in 1:59.39, while Monika Gonzalez-Hermosillo (Mexico City, Mexico) swam a personal best 1:59.63 in the prelims and placed 15th in the finals in 2:00.29.
Casey Francis (East Meadow, N.Y.) and Katelyn Sowinski (Severna Park, Md.) placed 12th and 16th, respectively in the 500 freestyle. The pair tied in the preliminaries, both touching in a season-best 4:42.06 to place ninth. The time was also a personal best for Francis. Francis finished in 4:42.78 in the finals, while Sowinski touched in 4:51.16.
“We’re doing some good things; we just have to get a little tougher and just take on the challenge,” said Murphy. “It’s not going to get any easier, but the girls are in good spirits and there is a lot of energy on the deck. I think they’re supporting each other well. We’re in the trenches here and we have to respond.”
The opening night Wednesday featured a pair of relays. The Nittany Lions had their best performance in the 800 freestyle relay, as the team of Ackman, Megan Wujciak (Livingston, N.J.), Price and Jones touched in fourth place with a season-best and NCAA A-cut time of 7:05.67.
Penn State finished sixth in the 200-medley relay, as Allie Pennetti (Wexford, Pa.), Sinatro, Saloky and Jones combined to finish in a season-best 1:38.97.
Rutgers
The Rutgers swimming and diving team concluded day two of the 2016 Big Ten Conference Championships Thursday night at the Canham Natatorium in Ann Arbor, Mich. Senior Morgan Pfaff (Red Lion, Pa.), junior Alyssa Black (Middletown, N.Y.) and sophomore Addison Walkowiak (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) all contributed to the Scarlet Knights’ team total during the second session.
RU was strong in the 1-meter diving event, as Walkowiak and Black qualified for the consolation final. Walkowiak concluded 11th overall with a final total of 295.50, while Black finished close behind with a 294.45, good for 13th in the field.
Pfaff qualified for the “C” final in the 200 IM, finishing with a time of 2:00.61. The mark was a NCAA B-cut, her second of the day after producing a 2:01.05 during the preliminary session.
Other highlights during the preliminary portion included a PR from junior Rachel Stoddard (Hillsborough, N.J.) in the 200 IM with a time of 2:02.81. Freshman Francesca Stoppa (Trento, Italy) concluded the preliminary portion with a PR of 4:52.53 in the 500 free, and junior Meghan Kiely (Mountain Lakes, N.J.) added a PR with a time of 23.41 in the 50 free.
After day two, Rutgers currently sits in 13th place with 107 team points. Host Michigan leads the championships with 423.5 points, followed by Indiana with 406.5 points. Ohio State is in third place with 328 points.
Wisconsin
Chase Kinney claimed a pair of silver medals and helped the Wisconsin women’s swimming and diving team hold a fifth-place team standing through the second day of finals at the 2016 Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Thursday.
The Badgers began the night at the Canham Natatorium with a second-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The team of Kinney, Marissa Berg, Jess Unicomb, and Annie Tamblyn clocked in at 1 minute, 29.10 seconds to not only claim the silver medal, but also qualify for the NCAA championships with an NCAA ‘A’ qualifying time in the event.
Ohio State won the event, while Michigan trailed Wisconsin by two-tenths of a second in third place.
UW standout sprinter Kinney went on to win her second silver medal of the night in the 50-yard freestyle, as the junior swam a career-best time of 22.19 seconds. Kinney finished behind Ohio State’s Zhesi Li, who won the event with a time of 21.80 seconds. Li is a former Chinese record holder in the event.
“I thought we did a nice job,” head coach Whitney Hite said. “There was some good swimming. Chase’s swim was the third-fastest time in the history of our program with her lead off in the 200-yard freestyle relay.
“We’re just trying to scrape and claw and get through. We seem to be hopefully getting a little bit better as we go through the meet. I thought Danielle Valley’s 500 was good as well.”
Valley moved up three spots from the preliminary heat in the 500-yard freestyle, as the junior finished fifth in finals with a season-best time of 4:40.10. Valley’s time marked an NCAA ‘B’ qualifying time.
Berg claimed an eighth-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle by clocking in at 22.89 seconds. Her time of 22.55 seconds from the preliminary heat was a career-best mark.
Senior Jenny Holtzen won the C-final of the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:46.98 to finish 17th overall. Holtzen’s time of 4:46.58 from the preliminary heat was a season-best and an NCAA ‘B’ qualifying time.
Anna Meinholz grabbed an 18th-place finish in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 1:59.76 to better her time of 2:00.93 from prelims. Meinholz’s time in the final heat of the event was a season-best mark, but nearly missed her career-best of 1:59.68.
In the 1-meter women’s diving consolation final, Ashley Peterson finished 16th with a score of 273.35 points, while Dana Liva was 20th with a total of 266.45 points.
The UW women set a number of season- and career-best marks in the preliminary heats of today’s events.
Madison Blaydes set a season-best in the 500-yard freestyle in the preliminary heat with a time of 4:58.14, while Molly Manchon swam a career-best time in the same event with a final time of 4:58.91.
Dana Grindall swam a career-best time in prelims of the 200-yard individual medley at 2:03.53, while Maria Carlson dropped time in the same event to mark a career-best time of 2:04.54.
Four Badgers set best times in the 50-yard freestyle Thursday morning. Emmy Sehmann had a season-best time of 23.42, while Maddie Martin swam a career-best 23.55.
Rachel Johnson had a season-best time in the 50 freestyle at 24.21, while Lizzie Brown set a career-best time at 29.64.
“We’re going to come out and we have to make it our day tomorrow,” Hite said of Friday.
