Michigan claimed the 2016 Big Ten Women’s Swimming & Diving Championship Saturday at the Canham Natatorium on the campus of the University of Michigan. The title marks the Wolverines 15th conference crown, and first since 2004.
Michigan compiled 1,361 total points throughout the four-day event. Indiana finished second after collecting 1,207.5 points and Minnesota was third with 927.5 points. Ohio State finished fourth with 859 points, while Purdue recorded 766.5 points to finish fifth.
The Wolverines took home titles in the 100-yard freestyle, 100-yard backstroke, 200-yard freestyle, 200-yard backstroke, 200-yard individual medley, 400-yard medley relay, 400-yard freestyle relay and 800-yard freestyle relay.
Michigan’s Siobhan Haughey was named Swimmer of the Championships, while Minnesota’s Yu Zhou was tabbed Diver of the Championships. Indiana’s Lilly King claimed Freshman of the Year honors.
Michigan
For the first time in 12 years, the University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team is back on top in the Big Ten, as the third-ranked Wolverines won their 15th conference championship on Saturday (Feb. 20) inside Canham Natatorium. Michigan (1,361 points) held off a strong push from Indiana (1,207.5) for the title, while ending Minnesota's four-year stretch of conference domination.
Two swimmers won individual titles on Saturday, with Clara Smiddy setting a program record to win the 200-yard backstroke (1:51.57) and Siobhán Haughey out-touching Ohio State's Zhesi Li by 0.01 seconds to win the 100-yard freestyle (47.71) and set both program and pool records. Haughey is the first U-M swimmer since Kaitlyn Brady in 2006 to win three individual events at the same Big Ten Championships.
Following the meet, Haughey was named Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships. She is the sixth U-M swimmer to receive the honor, and first since Lindsey Smith in 2007. Head coach Mike Bottom has now led Michigan to seven Big Ten titles (six men, one women), making him the only coach in U-M history to coach both teams to conference championships.
In the four-day competition, Michigan broke nine school records, claimed 67 NCAA cuts (10 A, 44 B, 13 Zone Diving) and set 57 career bests. In addition, 15 Canham Natatorium records were broken, including seven by Michigan, who had the pleasure of winning the title in its home pool for the first time since 1993.
The Wolverines capped off its title day by winning the 400-yard freestyle relay en route to setting a school and pool record (3:13.81). The quartet of Haughey, Smiddy, Gabby DeLoof and Ali DeLoof chopped nearly a second-and-a-half off the previous program record, which Smiddy and Ali Deloof were a part of in 2015.
Michigan was able to pad its lead thanks large in part to four top-five finishes, including two in the 1,650-yard freestyle. Freshman Yirong Bi swam the second-fastest time in U-M history to take second (15:50.56), while sophomore Gillian Ryan took third (15:59.35). Ali DeLoof saw her pool record in the 100-yard freestyle overtaken by Haughey in the final, but still managed to finish third (47.96). Her younger sister, Gabby, claimed fourth in the 200-yard backstroke (1:54.71).
The Wolverines really turned the tide in the 200-yard breaststroke, as they qualified five of six swimmers into the finals. Sophomore Emily Kopas led the way with a fifth-place finish (2:09.48), while classmate Carolyn McCann took seventh (2:12.22), sneaking into the final after a huge time drop in preliminaries. Others to score included senior Marni Oldershaw (10th, 2:12.39), sophomore Samantha Yeo (2:14.59) and junior Madison Horton (23rd, 2:15.60). Freshman Astrid Swensen, the team's lone representative in the 100-yard butterfly, took 10th (1:57.20), dropping more than a second from her preliminaries time.
Five divers scored points on platform, including four in the consolation final. Junior Allie Murphy led the way with a 10th-place finish (275.65), followed by senior Nicole Honey in 11th (263.75), junior Keegan McCaffrey in 12th (261.45) and senior Sarah Kamstra in 16th (230.75). Senior Elena Ghormley also picked up a few points in the bonus final with a 21st-place finish (228.20). Those five divers combined for 63 points, while Indiana had only 27.
Illinois
Illinois Women’s Swimming and Diving wrapped up competition at the 2016 Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan, tonight after four days of action. The Fighting Illini claimed a 12th place finish, racking up 234 points.
“It was great to set three school records on the last day and earn two more NCAA B standards,” shared Illinois head coach Sue Novitsky. “We were a little flat at the start of prelims, but [Gabbie] Stecker and [Samantha] Stratford have been tough all meet and came on strong in the 200 fly to earn final swims. They both got faster at night and joined [Gabrielle] Bethke and [Megan] Vuong to finish the meet with a school record in the 400 free relay. We improved as a team with our times and getting more swims at night. We were looking to move up as a team, but I feel we took some strong steps for the future.”
In the morning preliminaries, Gabbie Stecker and Samantha Stratford both exceeded the Illini 200 butterfly school record time. Stecker finished 14th with a 1:59.26 in the prelim while Stratford clocked a mark of1:59.53 for 16th, both Illini earned spots in the finals. In the finals, Stratford finished 13th with a time of 1:59.12, bettering the record yet again. Stecker also exceeded the mark with a 1:59.24 for a 15th place finish.
Stratford and Stecker’s marks both were within the NCAA B standards.
The 400 freestyle relay team of Gabrielle Bethke, Megan Vuong, Stecker and Stratford added another school record on the evening. The group clocked a mark of 3:21.08 for a ninth place finish in the event.
Next on the slate for the Orange and Blue, is the Purdue-hosted Last Chance Meet slated for next weekend. Action begins at 7 a.m. CT on Saturday, Feb. 27.
Indiana
The No. 13-ranked Indiana women’s swimming and diving team finished strong at the 2016 Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at the Canham Natatorium in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Saturday night.
The Hoosiers won two gold and two silver medals on the final night of competition. Over the course of the meet, IU won a total of 16 medals – six gold, six silver and four bronze.
Indiana finished second overall with 1,207.5 points, falling just short of host Michigan who won the team title with a total of 1,361. Minnesota finished third with 927.5 points, while Ohio State placed fourth with 859. Purdue finished fifth with a total of 766.5 points.
IU has placed first or second at the Big Ten Championships in each of the last eight years, winning the title three-straight times from 2009 to 2011. The Hoosiers have finished second the last five seasons.
Lilly King was name Big Ten Freshman of the Year and First-Team All-Big Ten after winning four gold and one bronze medals in her first Big Ten Championships. Joining King on the All-Big Ten First Team were Marie Chamberlain, Gia Dalesandro, Kennedy Goss, Haley Lips and Grace Vertigans. Delaney Barnard and Miranda Tucker were named Second-Team All-Big Ten.
In the 1,650 freestyle, senior Haley Lips led the Hoosiers charge, placing fourth overall with a personal-best and NCAA B cut time of 16:01.67. Lips’ time is the 10th-fastest in IU history and she ranks as the fourth-fastest 1,650 swimmer at the school.
Stephanie Marchuk placed 10th overall in the 1,650 freestyle with a NCAA B cut time of 16:17.26.
In the 200 backstroke, Kennedy Goss earned a silver medal for the Hoosiers, touching the wall in a personal-best and NCAA B cut time of 1:52.18. Goss’ time ranks her as the third-fastest 200 backstroke swimmer in school history. Also in the Championship Final, Marie Chamberlain finished eighth with a NCAA B cut time of 1:57.35.
Swimming in the B Final, Rachel Matsumura finished 13th overall with a NCAA B cut time of 1:58.12, while Ali Rockett placed 14th overall with a NCAA B cut mark of 1:58.57. Shelly Drozda placed fifth in the C Final to finish 21st overall with a NCAA B cut time of 1:58.84.
Holly Spears led four Hoosier swimmers in the finals of the 100 freestyle, finishing eighth in the Championship Final with a NCAA B cut time of 49.77.
Grace Vertigans placed 16th overall with a time of 50.02, while Kaitlin Kitchens finished second in the C Final of the 100 free to place 18th overall with a NCAA B cut time of 49.89. Gabriela Rajic finished 24th overall with a time of 51.39.
Lilly King and Miranda Tucker continued their domination in the breaststroke events on Saturday, earning the gold and silver medals for the Hoosiers.
After King and Tucker finished 1-2 in the 100 breast on Friday, the freshmen duo did it again on Saturday in record fashion.
After Tucker set the school record in the morning prelims, King answered back in the Championship Final, winning with a school, Big Ten Meet, Canham Natatorium and NCAA A cut time of 2:05.58. King’s tremendous time is the seventh-fastest in NCAA history.
Tucker swam even faster in the Championship Final than she did in her record prelim swim, touching the wall in a personal-best and NCAA A cut time of 2:06.52. Tucker’s time ranks second all-time in Indiana history.
Gia Dalesandro successfully defended her title in the 200 butterfly, winning the gold for the third-straight year. Dalesandro touched the wall in a NCAA B cut time of 1:54.77 to beat the field.
Bailey Pressey had an impressive swim in the B Final, winning to place ninth overall with a NCAA B cut time of 1:56.98. Swimming in the C Final, Olivia Barker placed 18th overall with a NCAA B cut time of 1:59.42, while Reagan Cook finished 21st with a time of 2:00.14.
In the consolation final of the platform dive, Michal Bower finished fifth with a personal-best score of 250.20 to place 13th overall. Lacey Houser placed 14th overall with a personal-best score of 245.5. Both totals are NCAA Zones qualifying scores.
In the 400 free relay, the team of Kennedy Goss, Haley Lips, Holly Spears and Miranda Tucker finished sixth with a time of 3:16.83.
Over the course of the Big Ten Championships, the Hoosiers posted some impressive accolades. Overall the team totaled seven school record swims, two Big Ten records, four Big Ten meet records, five Canham Natatorium records, six NCAA A cuts, 59 NCAA B cuts and 37 personal best marks.
Iowa
The University of Iowa women’s swimming and diving team closed out the 2016 Big Ten Championships with three school records Saturday at the Canham Natatorium.
Junior Emma Sougstad swam to the first record during the prelims of the 200 breast, touching in at 2:11.12 seconds, qualifying her for the “A” finals. The Forest City, Iowa, native one-upped herself in the finals, finishing with a time of 2:10.81 to place sixth in the event.
Junior Cali Head tied Lydia Lehnert’s school record in the diving well. She earned the bronze medal in the competition with a final score of 312.20.
Sophomore Meghan Lavelle swam to the second-fastest time in program history in the 200 back during prelims with a time of 1:57.24, qualifying her for the “B" finals. She finished in 12th place in her second swim with a time of 1:58.09.
Iowa closed out the night with the 400-free relay, where the quartet of Sougstad, senior Olivia Kabacinski, Lavelle, and sophomore Carly O’Brien swam to a 10th place finish with a time of 3:21.08.
The Hawkeyes finished the championship with 369.5 points to finish in 11th place. The 369.5 points are the most team points since 1986(509.5). Iowa broke eight school records during the weekend.
Michigan claimed the team title with 1361 points, followed by Indiana with 1207.5 points.
The Hawkeye divers will be in action at the 2016 NCAA Zone D Diving Championships from March 7-9 in College Station, Texas.
Minnesota
The University of Minnesota finished third at the 2016 Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan tonight. The Gophers collected 927.50 points over the course of the meet, with a championship roster that included 15 rookies.
For the second-straight year, Yu Zhou was selected as the Big Ten Diver of the Championships and named to the All-Big Ten First Team after earning gold in all three diving events. Tonight’s platform score of 363.20 secured her fifth career Big Ten gold medal. The junior also topped the 1-meter competition with 352.45 points and 3-meter with a score of 407.05 earlier in the meet.
Zhou wasn’t alone in the championship diving finals. Senior Jessica Ramberg was eighth on 3-meter (354.80) and sixth on platform (274.50). Lexi Tenenbaum picked up bronze in 3-meter (354.80) and finished fourth tonight in the platform competition (305.40). Freshman Mariam Khamis also scored points for the Gophers in each diving event.
Sophomore Danielle Nack collected silver in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 1:56.55, repeating last season’s Big Ten performance. Earlier in the meet, Nack earned bronze in the 100 fly (52.64) and ninth in the 50 freestyle (22.50)—both personal records. The sophomore also contributed to four of Minnesota’s relays. Nack was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team.
Minnesota had five Gophers score in the 1,650 free. Samantha Harding led the way with a seventh place finish (16:05.48). Sophomore Brooke Zeiger followed for eighth with a 16:09.83 mark. Zeiger was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team for her performance in yesterday’s 400 IM (4:08.18).
Senior Lauren Votava wrapped up her Big Ten career tonight with fourth place finishes in the 100 free (48.48) and 400 free relay along with Nack, Zoe Avestruz and Abigail Raatz (3:17.01).
Rachel Munson placed ninth in the 200 breaststroke with a personal record of 2:11.20. Fellow rookie Kaela Marcus notched 13th in the 200 breast with an individual best (2:14.33).
Avestruz, Munson and Votava were also selected for the All-Big Ten Second Team for their 200 medley relay performance from night one along with Nack.
Minnesota will finish its season at the 2016 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships in Atlanta, Georgia, from March 16–19.
Nebraska
Taryn Collura earned ninth in the 100-yard freestyle, Erin Oeltjen finished 16th in the 200-yard backstroke, Anna Filipcic was named second-team All-Big Ten and the Nebraska swimming and diving team wrapped up competition at the 2016 Big Ten Championships on Saturday evening at the University of Michigan’s Canham Natatorium.
Nebraska finished in ninth place, overall, scoring 411.5 points. The squad also finished ninth in 2015, 2014 and 2013 following an 11th-place finish in 2012.
Saturday evening's session began with Kaylyn Flatt swimming a career-best time in the 1,650-yard freestyle. Flatt finished in 21st-place with a time of 16:43.17. Katt Sickle finished in 30th-place racing to a time of 17:02.07. Aimee Fischer and Brooke Holmes also competed in the event for Nebraska. Fischer finished in 33rd-place with a time of 17:18.51, while Holmes finished in 42nd-place with a time of 17:55.08
Erin Oeltjen notched a 16th-place finish for Nebraska in 200-yard backstroke racing to a time of 2:00.12. Lindsay Helferich also swam in finals finishing in 24th-place after posting a time of 2:01.39.
Taryn Collura continued her impressive meet, racing to a career-best time of 48.91 in the 100-yard freestyle, earning a ninth-place finish. Collura’s time was just .15 seconds off of breaking Therese Alshammar’s school record set in 1999.
In the 200-yard breaststroke, Jordan Ehly notched another top-24 finish for the Huskers earning 20th-place after racing to a time of 2:14.68.
In the diving well, Katrina Voge led the way for Nebraska just missing out on a spot in the finals, finishing in 17th-place after tallying a score of 234.55 in the platform dive. Nicole Schwery was Nebraska’s next top performer finishing in 22nd-place with a score of 227.35. Francesca Giganti was Nebraska’s last competitor in the event and earned a 31st-place finish after posting a score of 208.00.
In the final event of the meet, the team of Taryn Collura, Bria Deveaux, Erin Oeltjen and Alex Bilunas earned an 11th-place finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay. The team posted a time of 3:21.55.
Overall, Nebraska had nine individual top-16 finishers and 16 top-24 performances over the seven sessions of the meet. Taryn Collura captured three top-10 finishes earning 5th in the 100-yard butterfly, 7th in the 50-yard freestyle and 9th in the 100-yard freestyle. Anna Filipcic had the highest finish of the Championships for Nebraska finishing runner-up in the one-meter dive.
A pair of Huskers also earned honors at the 2016 Big Ten Championships. Anna Filipcic was named second-team All-Big Ten and Julia Roller earned the Sportsmanship Award.
Ohio State
The 2016 Big Ten Championships are over and the Buckeyes finished in fourth place with 859 points, the sixth time since 2010 that Ohio State has earned a top-five finish at its conference championship meet. Michigan won its first Big Ten title since 2004 and Indiana, Minnesota, and Purdue were the other top-five teams this year.
Overall, OSU claimed five individual Big Ten titles and one relay title for six total championships, the most successful year since 1991.
200 freestyle relay- Liz Li, Annie Jongekrijg, Rachael Dzierzak, Macie McNichols (1:28.29)
50 freestyle- Liz Li (21.80)
400 IM- Lindsey Clary (4:03.64)
100 butterfly- Liz Li (51.77)
1650 freestyle- Lindsey Clary (15:49.98)
100 freestyle- Liz Li (47.72)
Kicking off day four’s finals was the 1650 freestyle, an event in which Clary’s time of 15:49.98 not only clinched her second individual Big Ten title; and not only clinched her a spot at next month’s NCAA Championships; and not only set Big The Championship and pool records, but it broke her old Ohio State record by a whopping 14 seconds. Her previous record of 16:03.75 was over 11 seconds faster than the record before that, which had stood for nearly 25 years.
Following Clary’s remarkable performance was the 200 backstroke, which featured three Buckeye point scorers. Kaitlyn Ferrara (1:56.98) and Camey Rabold (1:57.64) each finished in second place in their respective finals heats, while Zulal Zeren (1:54.52) finished in third place overall for the bronze medal.
Next up was Li’s third individual B1G title and fourth overall. Her championship-winning time of 47.72 was just .01 behind the winner, but secured her a spot at the NCAA Championships and earned her yet another Ohio State school record. The 100 free featured five Buckeyes in all, with Dzierzak, McNichols, Jongekrijg, and Christi DiPaolo all racing in finals heats. Three more OSU swimmers competed in the 200 breaststroke finals with Taylor Vargo’s eighth place time of 2:12.75 being the fastest of the three. Amy Bopp (2:13.78) and Katie Antal (2:14.87) both finished among the top-16 swimmers in that event.
The final individual swimming event of the week was the 200 butterfly, which also featured three Ohio State swimmers vying for points. Bopp got back in the pool to compete in this one, posting a time of 2:00.29 and teammate Cara Norris’s mark of 2:00.15 was right in front of her. Meg Bailey 1:58.74 finished 12th for OSU.
One final race, the 400 freestyle relay, was had by all and Ohio State finished in third with a time of 3:16.65 to close out its trip to the 2016 Big Ten Championships. The Buckeyes’ trusty relay team of Dzierzak, Jongekrijg, Li, and McNichols competed in that event.
With Big Tens now in the rearview mirror, Ohio State’s NCAA participants will now be looking ahead to March 17-19 when the best swimmers in the country convene for a shot at being crowned a national champion. For the Buckeyes, all of the Big Ten Champions have qualified for NCAAs in addition to Li in the 100 freestyle.
Penn State
No. 25 Penn State closed the 2016 Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships Saturday on a high note, setting a school record in the meet’s final event, the 400 freestyle relay. Overall, the Nittany Lions placed seventh in the four-day meet in Canham Natatorium.
The All-Big Ten second team quartet of Alyson Ackman (Montreal, Quebec), Niki Price (Manchester, Pa.), Haley Sinatro (West Hartford, Conn,) and Kaitlin Jones (Midlothian, Va.) earned silver in the race, finishing in 3:15.88, breaking a school standard of 3:16.12 that had stood since 2012. It was the Nittany Lions top race of the meet.
Jones was also honored as Penn State’s Big Ten Sportsmanship award recipient.
It was one of three top five finishes for the Nittany Lions on the day. Ackman placed fifth in the 100 free in 48.67 seconds, with Jones placing in 14th in 49.67 in the same event. Melissa Rodriguez added a fourth place finish in the 200 breast, touching in 2:09.43. Katie Rowe (Glenville, N.Y) also placed in an A-final, finishing sixth in the 300 butterfly in 1:58.27.
Price also had a strong individual finish, placing 11th in the 200 backstroke in 1:57.81. Katelyn Sowinski (Severna Park, Md.) and Casey Francis (East Meadow, N.Y.) placed back-to-back in 12th (16:19.56) and 13th (16:26.05), respectively.
Michigan claimed the 2016 Big Ten Women’s Swimming & Diving Championship. Michigan compiled 1,361 total points throughout the four-day event. Indiana finished second after collecting 1,207.5 points and Minnesota was third with 927.5 points. Ohio State finished fourth with 859 points, while Purdue recorded 766.5 points to finish fifth.
The Wolverines took home titles in the 100-yard freestyle, 100-yard backstroke, 200-yard freestyle, 200-yard backstroke, 200-yard individual medley, 400-yard medley relay, 400-yard freestyle relay and 800-yard freestyle relay.
Michigan’s Siobhan Haughey was named Swimmer of the Championships, while Minnesota’s Yu Zhou was tabbed Diver of the Championships. Indiana’s Lilly King claimed Freshman of the Year honors.
On Friday, Ackman opened the evening finals leading off a third place effort in the 400 medley relay. She teamed with Rodriguez, Rowe and Price 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 Jones won the B-final in 1:46.40.
Rodriguez also reached an A-final, placing seventh in the 100 breaststroke in 1:00.76. Sinatro 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 Francis 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 Sowinski 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
Behind two school records and seven top-eight marks, the Rutgers swimming and diving team finished 10th at the 2016 Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Michigan claimed the Big Ten title, dethroning defending four-time champion Minnesota, who finished third. Indiana was the runner up in the 13-team field.
“We had some great performances this week and are excited to roll up our sleeves and get back to work to keep on building the program up,” said head coach Petra Martin. “We thank our seniors for their commitment over the last four years and contributions this week. We are excited about the future of this program, as our younger classes showed a lot of promise both off the blocks and on the diving boards. Our incoming class next year will help us build off of our performance. ”
The Scarlet Knights saw two school records fall during the championships, both with the help of freshman Francesca Stoppa (Trento, Italy). Stoppa registered a school-record 1:57.74 in the 200 butterfly during the last night of competition to finish fourth overall in the final heat. It marked the highest place for Rutgers during the four-day event.
Stoppa was also involved in RU’s record-setting performance in the 200 medley relay, as the quartet of Stoppa, senior Joanna Wu (Kent, Wash.), junior Rachel Stoddard (Hillsborough, N.J.), and senior Sarah Coyne (Osceola, Ind.) hit the wall with a time of 1:39.57. The mark was .50 seconds faster than the previous record set at last year’s Big Ten Championships in Columbus, Ohio.
Rutgers had a total of five athletes represent the program on the podium (top-8 overall finish) in seven events.
In addition to her record-setting performance in the 200 fly, Stoppa also finished seventh in the 100 butterfly with a time of 53.84, the second-fastest time in program history behind Catherine Whetstone’s 53.27.
Sophomore Addison Walkowiak (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) shined for the Scarlet Knights off the boards, collecting two top-eight finishes over the course of the championships. Walkowiak placed 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. In platform diving on Saturday night, Walkowiak placed eighth with a mark of 224.55 after landing a 269.95 during the preliminary session.
Freshman Vera Koprivova (Prerov, JC, Czech Republic) had an outstanding final day for the program, recording a PR in the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:55.02 to finish fifth overall in the field. The time was the fastest for Rutgers this season and the third-fastest time in RU history.
Senior Morgan Pfaff (Red Lion, Pa.) finished seventh in the 200 butterfly with a time of 1:58.59, her fastest time in the race this season. Pfaff was the only Scarlet Knight to compete in three individual championship finals, with appearances in the 200 Individual medley (22nd- 2:00.61) and 400 individual medley (20th- 4:17.65).
Wu contributed an eighth-place finish in the 100 backstroke on Friday, producing a time of 54.31 to claim her place on the podium.
Wisconsin
Junior Dana Grindall highlighted the final day of competition for the Wisconsin women's swimming and diving team at the 2016 Big Ten Women's Swimming and Diving Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Saturday.
Grindall earned a third-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly and helped the Badgers earn a sixth-place overall team finish.
Marissa Berg, Chase Kinney, Annie Tamblyn and Jess Unicomb earned second team All-Big Ten honors at the championships, while Rachel Johnson was Wisconsin's Sportsmanship Award honoree.
"I’m really proud of our divers. They did a great job," head coach Whitney Hite said. "We had four divers score 66 points and Ashley Peterson made the championship final. I don’t think that’s ever happened in the history of our program. That was huge.
"That really ended up being the difference between sixth and seventh place. I’m just really proud of our divers and our diving program and especially of my diving coach, Anton Slobounov. I think he’s the best diving coach out there. We’re moving in the right direction with that. I’m happy for him.
"While our swimming was rough, I will say that we didn’t quit. We kept fighting the whole time and I’m really proud of the girls for that. We just have to be better. Now it’s on to Atlanta for the NCAA championships."
UW earned a total of 712 points to finish sixth at the conference meet held this year at Canham Natatorium. Host team Michigan won the meet with a grand total of 1,361 points.
Not only did Grindall finish third in the 200 butterfly in 1 minute, 56.60 seconds, but her time also just nearly missed her own school-record of 1:56.48 set at last year's NCAA Championship.
The relay team of Kinney, Unicomb, Emmy Sehmann and Berg finished fifth in the 400-yard freestyle relay, clocking in at a season-best time of 3:17.30.
Three Badger women swam to sixth-place finishes in three separate individual events during Saturday's final heats.
Danielle Valley came in sixth in the 1,650-yard freestyle, as the junior cut off over 10 seconds to set a season-best time of 16:04.18. The time was less than three seconds away from the Wisconsin's school record (16:01.74) set by Olympic gold medalist Carly Piper in 2005.
Unicomb continued her impressive meet with a sixth-place finish in the 200-yard backstroke. While the freshman finished the race in the A-final with a time of 1:55.73, her earlier time of 1:55.21 seconds from the preliminary heat marked a career best.
Kinney picked up her second individual top-six finish of the meet with a sixth-place spot in the 100-yard freestyle at 48.70 seconds.
In the women's platform diving final, junior Ashley Peterson finished seventh with a total score of 239.35 points.
Jenny Holtzen joined valley in the 1,650-yard freestyle, as the senior grabbed a ninth-place finish with a time of 16:17.16.
A pair of Badgers in Maria Carlson and Grace Wold finished 11th in the 200-yard breaststroke and 200-yard butterfly, respectively. Carlson swam to a season-best time of 2:12.43, while Wold finished the butterfly race with a time of 1:57.99.
Berg finished 15th in the 100-yard freestyle and recorded a time of 49.72 seconds. Berg's preliminary time of 49.55 seconds was a career-best mark for the sophomore.
Senior Anna Meinholz won the C-final in the 200-yard breaststroke and placed 17th overall with a time of 2:14.00.
Three Badger divers recorded career-best marks on the platform event, as Gabriella Comunale led the way with a score of 228.25 points. Alexandra Hafey finished with a score of 196.50, while Hazel Hertting set her new career-best mark at 165.85 points.
Four UW women tallied career- or season-best times in the 100-yard freestyle as well. Sehmann set her new career-best time at 50.54 seconds, while Maddie Martin lowered hers to 51.32 seconds. Madison Tew set a season-best mark in the event with a time of 51.55, while Johnson swam the race in 52.30 for a season-best mark as well.
The Wisconsin men's swimming and diving team gets its turn next at the 2016 Big Ten Men's Swimming and Diving Championships in West Lafayette, Indiana, beginning next Wednesday.
