Illinois
Much like the first two days of the Big Ten Swimming and Diving Championships, the Illinois swimming and diving team posted season-best times on the third day of competition. On the day, UI posted six times that rank in the top-10 on the all-time fastest performances list.
“Overall we had another solid day,” said head coach Sue Novitsky. “We had some near misses in the morning for some final spots in other events. We had nine more lifetime bests this morning. We continued to have a bunch of changes to the record books in a lot of events.”
In the preliminary round of the 100 fly, Lori Lynn and Megan Voung etched their names into the record book, clocking times of :54.59 and :54.81, respectively. Lynn’s time placed her at fourth on the list, while the freshman now sits at 10th.
Senior Jennifer Coady also had an impressive day, setting the school record in the 50 breast with a time of :29.03. Her time of 1:02.73 in the 100 breast ranked was the fifth fastest mark in program history as well.
Sophomore Samantha Stratford continued her excellence, swimming the second fastest 200 free in school history in the prelims (1:48.01), as well as the third fastest in the finals (1:48.13).
The 400 medley relay team of Sloane McDermott, Coady, Lynn and Gabrielle Bethke also swam the fourth best time in school history with a time of 3:42.71.
The Illini remain in 12th in the team standings with one day of competition remaining. Action will resume tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. CT with the preliminary rounds of the 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly and platform diving.
“We have one more day and a lot of chances to see what we can accomplish,” stated Novitsky.
Indiana
The No. 13-ranked Indiana women’s swimming and diving team had a great finals session on Friday night at the 2016 Big Ten Championships at the Canham Natatorium in Ann Arbor, Mich.
The Hoosiers added six more medal on Friday night – two gold, two silver and two bronze – to push the team’s total to 12 headed in to the final day of competition on Saturday.
Indiana sits in second place with 845.5 points through 14 events. Michigan leads IU by just 45.5 points headed in to Saturday with a total of 891. Minnesota (612.5), Ohio State (577) and Purdue (498.5) round out the top-five teams.
The Hoosiers started the Friday night finals off with a tremendous start, winning the 400 medley relay in record time. The team of Marie Chamberlain, Lilly King, Gia Dalesandro and Kennedy Goss won with a time of 3:30.17. The mark is an Indiana record, a Big Ten record, a Big Ten meet record and a NCAA A cut time.
Chamberlain was just off her career-best on the leadoff leg, clocking in at 52.53, while Lilly King posted a blistering 57.64. Dalesandro split a 51.74, while Goss finished with a mark of 48.26.
In the 400 IM Championship Final, Sam Lisy placed sixth for the Hoosiers with a time of 4:12.22, while Reagan Cook took eighth with a mark of 4:16.35. Both times are NCAA B cuts.
In the B Final, Bailey Pressey placed sixth to finish 14th overall with a NCAA B cut time of 4:14.80. In the C Final, Rachel Matsumura eclipsed her personal-best time set in the morning prelims, timing in at 4:17.76 to place fifth in the race and 21st overall. Shelly Drozda finished seventh to place 23rd overall.
Gia Dalesandro earned a silver medal in the 100 butterfly, placing second with a NCAA B cut time of 52.42 to lead the Hoosier effort. Also in the Championship Final, Christine Jensen placed eighth with a mark of 54.50.
In the B Final of the 100 butterfly, Olivia Barker placed fourth to finish 12th overall with a NCAA B cut time of 54.19.
In the 200 freestyle, Haley Lips led the charge for the six IU swimmers who made the finals of the event, winning a bronze medal with her NCAA B cut time of 1:44.30. Also in the Championship Final, Kennedy Goss came in fifth with a NCAA B cut time of 1:45.61.
In the B Final, Stephanie Marchuk touched the wall second to finish 10th overall with a personal-best and NCAA B cut time of 1:46.62. Teammate Delaney Barnard was right behind her in the B Final, finishing 11th overall with a NCAA B cut time of 1:46.84. Grace Vertigans finished 13th overall, touching the wall in a NCAA B cut time of 1:47.21.
Swimming in the C Final, Holly Spears finished 21st overall with a time of 1:48.69.
In the 100 breaststroke, the Hoosiers were dominant. The freshman duo of Lilly King and Miranda Tucker took home the gold and silver medal, respectively.
King cruised to the victory, swimming the fourth-fastest 100 breast swim in history with her time of 57.35. King’s time set the school record she set in prelims and also set the Big Ten conference record, the Big Ten meet record and the Canham Natatorium record.
The 57.35 time by King is just 0.12 seconds off the American and NCAA record of 57.23 set by Breeja Larson in 2014. King is the third-fastest performer in the event, trailing only Larson and Alia Atkinson. King’s time was also a NCAA A cut.
Not to be outdone, Tucker reeled off a personal-best time of 58.58 that ranks third all-time in Indiana school history to win the silver medal. Tucker’s time is also a NCAA A cut.
Swimming in the C Final, Laura Morley placed 21st overall with a time of 1:02.40.
Marie Chamberlain earned the bronze medal in the 100 backstroke, finishing third with a NCAA B cut time of 52.73. In the B Final, Ali Rockett placed fourth to finish 12th overall with a NCAA B cut time of 54.02.
Lacey Houser made her second Championship Final in as many diving events for the Hoosiers, finishing fifth with a NCAA Zones qualifying score of 342.60.
In the prelims of the 3-meter dive, Michal Bower qualified for the consolation final with her best score as a Hoosier, totaling a 304.30 – a NCAA Zones qualifying score. Bower placed eighth in the consolation final, 16th overall, with a total of 274.90.
Iowa
Four University of Iowa women’s swimming and diving school records went down Friday at the Canham Natatorium on the third day of the 2016 Big Ten Championships.
Junior Emma Sougstad swam to the first record during the prelims of the 100 breast, finishing in 59.50 seconds -- a time that qualified her for the “A” finals. The Forest City, Iowa, native one-upped herself in the night cap, finishing with a time of 59.22 to place fourth in the event.
Two more Iowa records went down during the first event of the night’s finals. Sophomore Meghan Lavelle tied Daniela Cubelic’s school record in the 100 back, leading off the relay with a split of 53.63 seconds. The quartet of Lavelle, Sougstad, freshman Kelly McNamara, and senior Olivia Kabacinski touched in a record time of 3:36.72, placing seventh overall.
McNamara also swam to a 13th place finish in the 100 fly with a time of 54.23 seconds. Lavelle won the “B” final in the 100 back, placing ninth overall, touching in 53.83 seconds. Senior Allie Orvis was 18th in the event in 54.68 seconds.
Sougstad also was also recognized as Iowa’s recipient for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Iowa is in 11th place in the team race with 248.5 points. Michigan is leading the field with 891 points, followed by Indiana with 845.5 points.
Minnesota
The Minnesota Golden Gophers earned four medals, including another diving title, on Friday night at the 2016 Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships. The Gophers have moved up to third place after night three with 612.50 points.
Minnesota’s 400 medley relay team of Zoe Avestruz, Rachel Munson, Danielle Nack and Lauren Votava tied Wisconsin for fourth with a time of 3:35.48.
Sophomore Brooke Zeiger collected a silver medal in the 400 IM with a 4:08.18 finish. Breanne Siwicki placed fourth with a season best time of 4:10.19. Senior Samantha Harding finished 19th with a time of 4:17.64.
Nack notched a personal record in the 100 fly with a time of 52.64 for the B1G bronze medal. Rookie Kaia Grobe finished 19th with a 54.50.
Votava placed seventh in the 200 free with a time of 1:47.43. The senior Gopher was also selected as Minnesota’s 2016 B1G Sportsmanship Honoree.
Rookie Munson finished eighth in the 100 breast with a 1:00.84. Rae Bullinger took 12th in the event with a time of 1:01.68.
Avestruz earned an 11th place mark in the 100 back with a time of 53.57.
Yu Zhou won the 3-meter championship for the second-straight year, finishing with a score of 407.05. Lexi Tenenbaum earned bronze after totaling 354.80 points. Senior Jessica Ramberg placed eighth (317.90). Freshman Mariam Khamis scored 308.95 points for 14th place in 3-meter diving.
Nebraska
Taryn Collura set a new school record, the 400-yard medley relay team posted the second fastest time in school history and the Huskers notched six more top-24 finishes to wrap up Friday's competition at the 2016 Big Ten Swimming and Diving Championships.
The Huskers began the evening by swimming the second fastest time in school history in the 400-yard medley relay. The team of Morgan McCafferty, Jordan Ehly, Bria Deveaux and Taryn Collura finished in a time of 3:39.10, earning ninth-place.
In the A final of the 100-yard butterfly, Taryn Collura set a new school record racing to a time of 53.21. Collura’s record setting pace was fast enough for fifth-place in the race. Collura topped Shannon Guy’s previous school record of 53.23 set in 2013.
The Huskers also had three swimmers competing in the B final of the 100-yard butterfly. Dana Posthuma led the way with a 10th-place finish, posting a career-best time of 53.98. Bria Deveaux finished .01 behind Posthuma, notching an 11th-place finish with a time of 53.99. Erin Oeltjen rounded out the top-15 racing to a time of 54.67, securing a 15th-place finish.
In the diving well, Nebraska notched two more top-24 finishes. Anna Filipcic was Nebraska’s best performer in the three-meter dive, posting a score of 337.45 for ninth-place. Nicole Schwery earned a 20th-place finish after tallying a score of 281.20.
Northwestern
Eight Wildcats participated in the finals session on day three of the Big Ten Women's Swimming & Diving Championships and six Northwestern swimmers logged NCAA 'B' qualifications.
After three days of competition, the Wildcats sit in ninth place with 309 points.
Olivia Rosendahl (Los Angeles, Calif./Los Angeles) improved her career-high from the 3-meter springboard and clinched a spot in the championship final. She then proceeded to notch a fourth-place spot in the finals.
After setting the school record in the 200 IM last night, Melissa Postoll (Acworth, Ga./Kennesaw Mountain) again put her name atop the Wildcat record books in the 400 IM with a 'B' cut performance in the preliminaries.
Both Julianne Kurke (Atlanta, Ga./Parkview) and Katie Branch (Phoenix, Ariz./Horizon Honors) recorded 'B' qualifications for the first time this season en route to earning spots in the bonus final in the 100 breast.
The dramatics of the afternoon took place when freshman Annika Kollevoll (McLean, Va./The Bolles School) reached the bonus final for the 100 back after only participating in the event once this season and being seeded into the first heat. Her time also etched her into the Northwestern historical top-times list.
The Wildcats kicked off the night by swimming a season-best time of 3:38.45 in the 400 medley relay, the second-fastest time in program history. The quartet of Lacey Locke (Carmel, Ind./Carmel), Julianne Kurke, Maddy Sims (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North) and Annika Winsnes (Singapore/United World College) finished in first place in the second heat.
Ellen Stello (Shorewood, Wis./Shorewood) cruised to her best time in the 400 IM this season, finishing tops in the 'C' heat with her 'B' cut of 4:16.12. After climbing her way into the Northwestern history books in the morning, Melissa Postoll registered her fifth overall 'B' cut — and second in the 400 IM — touching in at 4:17.35, which was seventh in the consolation final.
Winsnes bested her preliminary time in the finals session of the 200 free, turning in a 1:47.30 finish that was good for first place in the bonus final. That finish was her third 'B' qualification in the 200 free this season.
The 'Cats had two simmers in the 'C' heat of the 100 breast. Both Julianne Kurke and Katie Branch fell from their prelim times, but they netted a combined six points for the squad. Kurke's time of 1:02.29 was another NCAA 'B' qualification for the senior.
In the 100 back, Lacey Locke recorded her second 'B' cut of the day with her 16th place time of 54.20. After becoming the fifth-fastest Northwestern swimmer in the 100 back earlier in the day, Annika Kollevoll swam a time of 56.19 to pick up a point for the Wildcats.
Olivia Rosendahl got the fourth spot on the podium after scoring 344.95 points. Her win picked up 26 points for the team total for Northwestern.
Ohio State
Ohio State claimed two more Big Ten titles on Friday- Lindsey Clary in the 400 IM and Liz Li in the 100 Butterfly- ensuring that this will be the first time since 1991 that a group of Buckeye swimmers has earned at least four Big Ten Championships in one year.
Clary’s win came first, and the junior did it in style. This morning in prelims she set a new school record with a time of 4:07.05, but her 400 IM finals time of 4:03.64 obliterated that mark by a significant margin. Her time was nearly five full seconds faster than the second place finisher and also set a new pool record.
Ohio State’s next B1G champion came in the very next event, the 100 butterfly. Li also set a school record during prelims (51.72) and her finals time was equally impressive (51.77), capturing a third conference championship for the sophomore (in addition to the 50 freestyle and 200 freestyle relay events she won on Thursday). Li is now the first Buckeye to win at least three Big Ten titles in one year since Susan Gottlieb in 1991.
The outstanding performances did not stop there. On the three-meter dive, Hannah Thek earned a silver medal with her score of 366.00; the Australia-native had a mark of 324.55 to reach the A finals. It’s the first medal for the sophomore, who is enjoying her first trip to Big Tens. Joining Clary in the top-10 of the 400 IM was teammate Meg Bailey, whose time of 4:12.14 was the fastest among the B finals swimmers and earned her ninth place, though it was the sixth-fastest time overall.
Two other Buckeyes earned points in the 100 butterfly: Ariana Bullard (54.44) and Macie McNichols (54.76) both performed well in the C finals, with Bullard earning an NCAA B time for her effort. Two more Ohio State swimmers were able to garner points in the next event, the 200 freestyle. Senior Katy Luchansky’s time of 1:46.88 was good for 12th place and a new personal best and Christi DiPaolo posted a time of 1:50.15.
Buckeyes littered the top-10 of the 100 breaststroke; three swimmers- Taylor Vargo (1:00.13), Rachael Dzierzak (1:01.23) and Amy Bopp (1:21.25) finished 5th, 9th, and 10th respectively, with Vargo competing in the A finals for the event. Yet another Ohio State swimmer, Katie Antal, finished 16th in the 100 breast with her time of 1:02.46.
The final swimming event of the evening was the 100 backstroke, in which Zulal Zeren placed 7th (54.28) to earn honors as Ohio State’s top finisher. Teammate Camey Rabold (54.04), swimming in the B finals for that event, finished in 13th.
It’s been a very successful Big Ten Championship week so far for Ohio State and tomorrow it has a chance to finish in the top-five of the final standings for the sixth time since 2010.
Penn State
Senior Alyson Ackman (Montreal, Quebec) again had a hand in a pair of top five finishes to lead No. 25 Penn State Friday at the Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships in Canham Natatorium. The Nittany Lions remain sixth as a team with 474.5 points and one day of competition remaining.
Ackman opened the evening finals leading off a third place effort in the 400 medley relay. She teamed with Melissa Rodriguez (Chihuahua, Mexico), Katie Rowe (Glenville, N.Y.) and Niki Price (Manchester, Pa.) to finish in a season-best 3:35.18. She later posted a season-best of 1:45.16 in the 200 free to place fourth, while Kaitlin Jones (Midlothian, Va.) won the B-final in 1:46.40.
Rodriguez also reached an A-final, placing seventh in the 100 breaststroke in 1:00.76. Haley Sinatro (West Hartford, Conn.) placed 13th in the same event in 1:01.72.
The Lions had a trio in the 400 individual medley B-final, led by Rowe in 10th in 4:12.29. Monika Gonzalez-Hermosillo (Mexico City, Mexico) was 12th in 4:12.83 and followed consecutively by Casey Francis (East Meadow, N.Y.) in 4:13.69.
Penn State is trailing Purdue for fifth, as the Boilermakers have 498.5 points.
Thursday 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.), Sinatro and Jones.
Rowe 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. Price also swam a personal record race to place 10th in 1:59.39, while Gonzalez-Hermosillo swam a personal best 1:59.63 in the prelims and placed 15th in the finals in 2:00.29.
Francis and Kately 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.
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
Senior Joanna Wu (Kent, Wash.), sophomore Addison Walkowiak (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) and freshman Francesca Stoppa (Trento, Italy) all placed within the top-eight of their respective events as the Rutgers swimming and diving team concluded day three of the Big Ten Championships Friday night at the Canham Natatorium in Ann Arbor, Mich.
In total, seven Scarlet Knights, along with the 400 medley relay team, competed in the finals. RU closed out the third day with 260 points, moving into 10th place in the 13-team field.
Walkowiak finished sixth in 3-meter diving with a final score of 324.80, besting her performance in the event at last year’s championships by almost 30 points. Walkowiak produced a 317.25 during the preliminary session to qualify for the final. Junior Alyssa Black (Middletown, N.Y.) also impressed off the boards, concluding the event in 11th place with a 323.45.
Stoppa continued to shine during her rookie season, producing a seventh-place finish with a time of 53.84 in the 100 butterfly. Stoppa’s time in the final was a NCAA B-cut, her second of the day after collecting a PR of 53.83 in the preliminaries.
Wu joined Walkowiak and Stoppa with a top-eight finish, contributing an eighth-place time of 54.31 in the 100 backstroke. Her time was also a NCAA B-cut, her second of the day after adding a 53.87 in her preliminary heat.
Rutgers had another strong performance in the 100 back from freshman Vera Koprivova (Prerov, JC, Czech Republic), who finished 10th overall with a PR of 53.91 after competing in the B final of the event. The NCAA B-cut was more than two seconds faster than her previous best.
Junior Rachel Stoddard (Hillsborough, N.J.) qualified for the B final in the 100 breaststroke, hitting the wall with a NCAA B-cut time of 1:01.87. Stoddard finished 15th overall in the field after securing a 1:02.10 in the final event. For Stoddard, it marked another NCAA B-cut.
Senior Morgan Pfaff (Red Lion, Pa.) contributed to the team scoring with a 4:17.65 in the 400 individual medley C final, good for 20th overall and a NCAA B-cut. It was the second C final for Pfaff in as many nights, as she also participated in the 200 individual medley Thursday evening.
In relay action, Wu, Stoddard, Stoppa and junior Meghan Kiely (Mountain Lakes, N.J.) finished 10th in the 400 medley relay with a time of 3:39.50, shedding close to four seconds off RU’s previous best this year.
Host Michigan leads the championships with 891 points heading into the final day, followed by Indiana with 845.5 points. Minnesota is in third place with 612.5 points.
Wisconsin
A trio of top-5 finishes from Dana Grindall, Jess Unicomb, and UW’s 400-yard medley relay team guided the Wisconsin women’s swimming and diving team on the third day of competition at the 2016 Big Ten Women's Swimming and Diving Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Friday.
The Badgers finished the day seventh in the team standings heading into the final day of the conference meet.
Grindall led the way individually, as she finished fourth in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 52.66 seconds. Her time of 52.61 seconds from earlier in the day during preliminaries was a season-best for the junior.
Freshman Unicomb made a statement in her first Big Ten championship meet and tied with Michigan’s Zoe Mattingly for fourth-place in the 100-yard backstroke, setting a career-best mark of 53.52 seconds.
The Wisconsin 400-yard medley relay team of Unicomb, Maria Carlson, Grindall, and Chase Kinney also finished fourth, swimming a season-best time of 3:35.48.
Danielle Valley placed 11th in the 400-yard individual medley, clocking in at a season-best 4:12.46.
Joining Grindall in the 100-yard butterfly finals was Grace Wold, who finished 14th in the B-final with a career-best mark of 54.35 seconds.
Kinney finished 16th in the 200-yard freestyle, as she recorded a time of 1:47.81. Her time of 1:47.50 from the preliminary heat was a career-best mark for the junior.
Carlson finished 14th in 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:01.87. Her time of 1:01.78 from prelims was a season-best.
Also finishing 14th individually was Annie Tamblyn in the 100-yard backstroke. Tamblyn’s time of 54.06 was a season-best mark and nearly a career-best time.
Rounding out the individual performances for the Badgers was Hazel Hertting, who claimed a 13th-place finish on the 3-meter board with a score of 316.50 points.
Six Badgers also recorded season- or career-best marks in today’s preliminary session.
Freshman Ariana Saghafi swam a season-best time of 55.10 seconds in the 100-yard butterfly, while fellow freshman Lizzie Brown swam a season-best mark of 1:03.91 in the 100-yard breaststroke.
The pair of Madison Tew and Molly Manchon set season-best marks in the 200-yard freestyle, as Tew clocked in at 1:50.22 and Manchon touched the wall at 1:52.07.
Madison Blaydes set a season-best in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 55.74, while Maddie Martin clocked in at 56.67 for a career-best mark.
