Team Standings After Day 2
1. Minnesota, 232.5
2. Michigan, 196.5
3. Indiana, 179
4. Wisconsin, 162
5. Penn State, 147
6. Purdue, 123
7. Ohio State, 109
8. Iowa, 102
9. Northwestern, 74
10. Nebraska, 66
11. Illinois, 46
12. Rutgers, 43
13. Michigan State, 34
Illinois
After the opening session of the Big Ten Swimming and Diving Championships produced three school records, the Illini got back to work on the second day of the championships. Illinois posted four more times that altered the school’s all-time lists.
“Overall, we had a solid day with a lot of best times,” said head coach Sue Novitsky. “Coming off an emotionally high evening last night, we were a little nervous and pressing a little too much during prelims, but we came back and had a strong relay performance tonight.”
The day began with the 500 free, in which Gabbie Stecker led the way with a time of 4:50.91. Amelia Schilling was hot on Stecker’s heels, posting a time of 4:51.15 to move up to fourth on the fastest individuals list.
In the 200 IM, it was Samantha Stratford who touched the wall first for the Illini. Stratford clocked a time of 2:01.96, while Lori Lynn finished in 2:02.94. Lynn’s time bumped her up to fifth on the list of fastest individuals.
The 200 free relay team of Alison Meng, Kirsten Zborek, Sabrinne Gibson and Sarah Sykstus wrapped up action in the pool with a 1:32.23 showing. That performance is good for sixth in Illinois history. Meng’s leadoff leg was also good enough to put her into third on the list of fastest individuals in the 50m freestyle.
In the one-meter dive, Erika Murphy was the top Illini finisher, posting a score of 262.15.
“Erika had a terrific day on the boards,” Novitsky noted “It was great to see her compete with poise and put together a great day.”
The Illini are now in 11th through two days of action. Competition will resume tomorrow morning 11 a.m. ET with the preliminary rounds of the 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back and three-meter diving.
“It is a long meet and we need to keep managing our energy, staying calm and having fun,” concluded Novitsky. “We need to step up and compete tough tomorrow.”
Indiana
Freshman Kennedy Goss made it two-for-two in her races as she won the 500 freestyle to highlight night two of action for Indiana at the 2015 Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships in Columbus, Ohio.
The Hoosiers currently sit in third place with 179 points.
A member of last night’s record-setting 800 freestyle relay, Goss picked up her second gold in as many events with a time of 4:37.83 in the 500 freestyle. That led a 1-2 Indiana finish as teammate Haley Lips touched the wall second in 4:38.27. Both times are career bests.
In the consolation final, Stephanie Marchuk went 4:44.04 to place 15th overall.
Lips and Goss went into the final as the top two seeds with Lips posting a 4:39.82 prelim swim and Goss a 4:39.94. Marchuk came back after a career time of 4:43.76 in prelims. Delaney Barnard finished 43rd overall with a career-best swim of 4:52.52.
The night opened with the 200 freestyle relay with Grace Vertigans, Brooklynn Snodgrass, Cynthia Pammett and Gabriela Rajic clocking a 1:30.61 to finish seventh overall. That is the fifth-fastest 200 free relay in IU history.
Sam Lisy posted a sixth-place finish in the 200 individual medley with a career time of 1:58.76. Right behind in seventh place was Bailey Pressey with a time of 1:59.00.
Gia Dalesandro won the consolation final and set a new career mark in the process with a time of 1:58.17, putting her ninth overall. Snodgrass took third in the consolation final and 11th overall with a time of 1:59.60. Reagan Cook placed 24th overall with a 2:03.30 in the bonus final.
Dorina Szekeres posted a 2:00.62 but elected not to swim the bonus final, while Rachel Matsumura took 33rd (2:02.39-career best) and Olivia Barker 43rd (2:03.34).
Vertigans came back in the bonus final of the 50 freestyle, finishing 22nd overall with a 23.14. She was the top Hoosier in prelims, earning her spot in the evening swim with a time of 22.94.
Rajic placed 30th overall with a career time of 23.16. Other career bests on the morning included Ali Rockett (23.23-38th), Holly Spears (23.42-51st) and Kaitlin Kitchens (23.75-66th). Marie Chamberlain placed 57th overall with a time of 23.54.
In the final event of the night Jessica Parratto finished fourth in the 1-meter springboard, tallying 322.30 points over her six-dive list. Also competing in her first Big Ten Championships, junior Lacey Houser placed 14th overall with a score of 299.20 in the consolation final.
Iowa
The University of Iowa women's swimming and diving team broke three school records Thursday in day two competition at the Big Ten Championships in Columbus, Ohio. The Hawkeyes currently sit in eighth place with 102 points, while Minnesota (232.5) and Michigan (196.5) hold the top two spots.
"We had a great day today from a school record standpoint -- breaking records in 3-of-4 events. I was happy to see Becky (Stoughton) and Emma (Sougstad) qualify for the 'A' finals and put themselves in position to compete for titles," said UI head coach Marc Long. "We're excited for tomorrow's events and the opportunity to compete for points, titles, and NCAA qualifying times."
Stoughton got the Hawkeyes off to a fast start posting a fifth-place finish in the 500-freestyle prelims with a school record-setting time of 4:40.23 -- besting her previous mark of 4:40.82 set in 2012. Later in the finals, she registered 14 points off a fifth-place finish touching out with a time of 4:40.24.
Sougstad added to the broken records with a fifth-place showing in the 200-individual medley. Sougstad came in with a time of 1:58.74, taking down the former record (2:00.42) set in 2013. The Forest City, Iowa, native later collected 11 points off an eighth-place finish in the finals -- posting a time of 1:59.70.
In the 50 free, junior Olivia Kabacinski led the Iowa sprinters with a time of 23.24, placing 23rd among the field of 108. Freshman Meghan Lavelle also finished in the top-30, finishing 27th with a time of 23.12.
The Hawkeyes third and final school record came in the opening race of Thursday's finals session -- the 200-freestyle relay. Iowa's quartet of Kabacinski, Sougstad, Lavelle, and Mekenna Scheitlin swam to a ninth-place finish touching out with a time of 1:30.96, surpassing the previous record they set earlier this season (1:31.30).
In the diving well, the Hawkeyes' Abby Grilli and Lydia Lehnert competed from the 1-meter. Grilli finished seventh with a personal best scoring 306.70 points. Lehnert was close behind placing 16th after posting a score 279.35.
"Abby did great tonight making the finals and placing seventh, especially after taking the first semester off with student teaching," said UI diving coach Todd Waikel. "To come out and perform in such a high-level meet with such little time to train is really outstanding. Lydia performed well tonight as well and nearly had a personal best. It was exciting to see them do well."
Minnesota
The 2015 Women’s Swimming and Diving Big Ten Championships continued at Ohio State today as the University of Minnesota took steps to win their fourth-straight Big Ten title. The Gophers currently have the lead with 232.5 points. Michigan currently in second (196.5). Events contested today included the 200 free relay, 500 free, 200 IM, 50 free and one-meter diving.
The Gophers kicked off night two taking bronze in the 200 free relay. Rebecca Weiland, Lauren Votava, Danielle Nack and Blake Zieger combined for a 1:29.32 and another NCAA A cut.
Samantha Harding led Minnesota in the 500 freestyle. Harding finished with a time of 4:40.23 for fourth place. Senior Kiera Janzen followed for sixth place with a time of 4:40.44.
Freshman Brooke Zeiger took the consolation final of the 500 free. Zeiger finished with a time of 4:38.66 for ninth place.
Brooke Lorentzen finished 18th overall in the 500 freestyle. The rookie finished second in the C final with a time of 4:46.19.
Representing Minnesota in the Championship final of the 200 individual medley was senior Tori Simenec and junior Kierra Smith. Simenec placed fourth with a time of 1:58.20, Smith had a 1:58.62 for fifth.
Senior Rebecca Weiland tied for second in the 50 freestyle, finishing with a time of 22.13 along with freshman Li from Ohio State. Weiland broke the Minnesota school record this morning during prelims with a time of 22.07. The record was previously held by her (22.13).
Lauren Votava placed 16th in the 50 free, finishing with a time of 23.12 in the consolation final.
Sophomore Abigail Raatz represented Minnesota in the C final. Raatz took second in the heat and 18th overall, finishing with a time of 22.90.
Three Golden Gophers competed in the one-meter diving finals. Yu Zhou, Shelly was named the Big Ten Champion after totaling 365.00 points to take the gold. She was followed by teammate Katy Etterman who finished second with 333.80 points. Jessica Ramberg placed eighth with a score of 289.30.
Lexi Tenenbaum placed tenth on the one-meter with a total of 321.65 points.
Nebraska
Anna Filipcic captured third-place in the one-meter dive, seven Huskers notched top-24 finishes and the Nebraska swimming and diving team finished the first full day of competition at the Big Ten Championships in 10th-place. The Huskers had five swimmers, two divers and the 200-yard freestyle relay team competing in final rounds Thursday evening at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion in Columbus, Ohio.
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 second-fastest time in school history. Their time of 1:30.92 earned Nebraska eighth-place in the event.
In the evening's first individual event, Katt Sickle captured a 21st-place finish racing to a time of 4:49.11 in the C final of the 500-yard freestyle. Sickle swam a career-best time in Thursday's preliminary round of the event.
Samantha Hardewig and Julia Roller took their turn in the C final of the 200-yard IM, placing 17th and 20th, respectively. Hardewig's time of 2:00.06 beat her previous career-best time she swam in Thursday's preliminary round, while also earning an NCAA B cut. Roller finished in a time of 2:02.12, the sophomore also set a career-best time in the preliminary round of the event.
Bilunas and Collura, the other two Husker swimmers who qualified for Thursday evening's finals, finished 15th and 20th, respectively, in the 50-yard freestyle. Both sprinters swam season bests and earned NCAA B cuts in the prelims.
In the final event of the evening, Filipcic captured a third-place finish in the one-meter dive. Filipcic posted a score of 329.50. Nicole Schwery also earned a trip to the finals, finishing in 15th-place with a score of 297.45
Ohio State
A pair of school records and two runner-up finishes highlighted Ohio State’s accomplishments on the second day of the 2015 Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships. Hosted by the Buckeyes at McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion, the championships will continue Friday with prelims scheduled for 11 a.m. and finals commencing at 6:30 p.m.
Minnesota holds a 36-point lead over second-place Michigan in the team standings. The Buckeyes stand seventh through seven events with 109 points, while Indiana (179), Wisconsin (162) and Penn State (147) round out the Top 5.
The Buckeyes kick started finals with an Ohio State record and NCAA ‘A’ cut time of 1:29.41 in the 200 freestyle relay. Fueled by the efforts of freshman Zhesi Li, junior Annie Jongekrijg, freshman Macie McNichols and junior Rachel Dzierzak, the Buckeyes picked up 30 points toward their team total with a fourth-place finish.
Claiming runner-up honors in the 200 individual medley was senior Ashley Vance. Finishing in a season-best time of 1:57.26, she finished just over three-tenths of a second under her preliminary mark. In prelims, Annie Gillig, Lauren Davis and Taylor Vargo each swam their season-best times (2:01.97, 2:02.76 and 2:06.28, respectively). Sophomore Amy Bopp and freshman Meg Bailey also represented the Buckeyes in the event.
“I’m awfully proud of Ashley in the 200 individual medley,” head women’s swimming coach Bill Dorenkott said. “She swam tough at home and she has so much to be proud of in herself after her performance today. Everyone really enjoys sharing this success with the team.
“We have girls at so many different points in their developments as athletes,” Dorenkott continued. “There are some, such as the veterans, who are comfortable when the lights get bright and we have some newcomers that cut their teeth, so to speak, and for us the message is to keep fighting throughout the entirety of championships.”
The Buckeyes qualified five swimmers for the evening session in the 50 freestyle. One newcomer certainly comfortable when the lights get bright is Li, who earned a spot in the championship final with an Ohio State record time of 22.03 in prelims. Ultimately, Li placed second in the event in a time of 22.13. McNichols donned the Scarlet and Gray in the consolation final, touching 13th in 22.94. Jongekrijg, Aliena Schmidtke and Dzierzak rounded out Ohio State’s representation, earning 17th, 19th and 21st, respectively. Sophomore Maren Reeder posted a season-best time of 28.32 in prelims, while Chantel Wynn, Cheyenne Meek and Annelise Sprau also suited up in the morning session.
Sophomore Kaitlyn Ferrara competed in the bonus consolation final of the 500 freestyle, touching in a time of 4:50.74 for a 22nd-place showing overall. Six more Buckeyes – Lindsey Clary (4:45.06), Camey Rabold (4:52.46), Kelly Paige (4:53.72), Katie Luchansky (4:54.26), Kathleen Cook (4:58.53) and Zulal Zeren (4:59.97) – earned season-best times in prelims.
“We were terrific tonight, especially with setting more school records,” Dorenkott said. “Clary is going to be someone to look for in the next few years as well. She came to us as a 5:05.00 in the 500 freestyle and she swam a 4:45.00 flat today. I couldn’t be more proud of her and the rest of our squad today.”
Diving competition kicked off Thursday afternoon with the 1-meter springboard event. Ohio State had two standout divers in action – Taylor Ford and Brittany Menninger. Ford, a senior this season, received a preliminary score of 249.15 for a 23rd-place tie. Menninger, competing in her first Big Ten championship meet, earned a 241.55-point total, which ranked 27th in the conference.
Penn State
Penn State’s 200-yard freestyle team set a school record in a runner-up effort and Katelyn Sowinski set a new 500 free record, as the Nittany Lions remained in fifth place at the 2015 Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships Thursday in the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion.
The team of Alyson Ackman (Montreal, Quebec), Carolyn Fittin (Sea Girt, N.J.), Katie Saloky (Bloomsburg, Pa.) and Katelyn Miller (Hershey, Pa.) posted the Lions top finish of the meet so far, completing the 200 free relay in an NCAA ‘A’ cut time of 1:28.50 to break the previous school standard of 1:28.96, set in 2013.
Fittin and Ackman added more points in the 50 freestyle, placing fourth (22.34) and seventh (22.54), respectively. Miller and Saloky were top finishers in the consolation final, placing 10th (22.71) and 13th (22.94), respectively.
Sowinski swam the 500 free in 4:40.72 in the morning preliminaries to set a new program record, and she tied for seventh in the evening finals, touching in 4:43.24. Megan Siverling (Chester Springs, Pa,), who had broken the team’s 500 free record earlier this season (4:41.86) added points by winning the bonus consolation, placing 17th in 4:44.38. Casey Francis (East Meadow, N.Y.) was 20th in 4:48.48.
Katie Rowe (Glenville, N.Y.) led the Lions in the 200 individual medley, placing 10th in 1:59.27. Haley Sinatro (West Hartford, Conn.) followed in 16th in 2:01.19, while Niki Price was 22nd in 2:02.29.
Minnesota claimed the top spot with 232.5 points, and is followed in the top five by Michigan (196.5), Indiana (179), Wisconsin (162) and Penn State (147).
Wednesday, Penn State’s 800-yard freestyle relay record fell. The team of Siverling, Ackman, Kaitlin Jones (Midlothian, Va.) and Caitlyn Karr (Reading, Pa.) swam a school-record and NCAA ‘A’ cut time of 7:05.42 to place fifth, barely breaking the standard of 7:05.44 set last season.
Purdue
Kaersten Meitz’s new program record in the 500 freestyle highlighted the first full day of action at the Big Ten Championships for No. 21 Purdue women’s swimming and diving.
Meitz broke Caitlin Hamilton’s freshman record from 2010 in the preliminaries and then clipped one hundredth of a second off Lauren Roth’s 2012 Purdue record in the finals, finishing second in the B final with a time of 4:42.11. Her prelim time in the morning session was 4:42.44.
Divers MacKenzie Tweardy and Mary Beth Dunnichay placed fifth and sixth, respectively, in the championship final of 1-meter diving to account for a combined 27 team points. Dunnichay posted a team season-best score of 317.10 in the prelims.
Meitz was one of four Boilers to qualify for the B final of the 500 free, thus scoring team points. Allie Davis (3rd place, 4:43.06), Abby Jagdfeld (5th, 4:43.40) and Nika Karlina Petric (8th, 4:43.13 in prelims) all posted career-best times to improve their marks on the Purdue all-time Top 10 list. The quartet combined to account for 18 team points in the event.
The Boilermakers had a scoring finish in all four individual events Thursday. They’re in sixth place with two days of events remaining, trailing fifth-place Penn State by 24 points and leading seventh-place Ohio State by 14.
Kylie Vogel placed fourth in the 50 free to account for five team points after improving on her fourth-fastest time in program history with a mark of 22.65 in the prelims.
Hannah Manger moved into third place in program history in the 200 IM with a career-best time of 2:00.01. She placed sixth in the B final to account for three team points. Meagan Lim was the runner-up in the C final of the event with a personal-best time of 2:00.66, elevating her into fifth place in the record book.
The 200 free relay team of Vogel, Anji Li, Carly Marshall and Rhiannon Sheets accounted for the fifth-fastest time in program history while finishing in 1:30.99. However, that was only good for 10th place Thursday evening.
Rutgers
Following a record-breaking performance in the 200 medley relay on opening night, the Rutgers swimming and diving team kept its momentum going on Thursday night at the Big Ten Championships. Freshman Addison Walkowiak (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) broke another record for Rutgers in the 1-meter diving event.
On the boards, Walkowiak continues to rewrite the record books, posting a program-best championship score of 305.25 in the 1-meter dive. The previous record of 302.70 had been set in 2009 by former Scarlet Knight Erin Saunders.
Earlier in the season, Walkowiak also reset the dual record for the 1-meter dive twice during the year. The freshman first accomplished the feat with a score of 304.70, followed by a mark of 306.90.
Rutgers opened the swim events with the 200 freestyle relay. The group of juniors Sarah Coyne (Osceola, Ind.) and Joanna Wu (Kent, Wash.), sophomore Meghan Kiely (Mountain Lakes, N.J.) and freshman Karli Rymer (Long Branch, N.J.) posted a season-high result of 1:32.12. The mark was under a second shy of the program-high time of 1:31.61.
Junior Morgan Pfaff (Red Lion, Pa.) posted a season-best of her own in the consolation final of the 200 individual medley, hitting the wall at 2:00.87.
Wisconsin
They've swam six events at the 2015 Women's Big Ten Championships.
Ivy Martin has already won three Big Ten titles.
It's taken Martin and the Wisconsin swimming and diving program little time to send a strong message at the Big Ten championships in Columbus, Ohio. After opening the meet Wednesday night with a Big Ten title in the 200-yard medley relay, the Badgers claimed two more crowns Thursday night winning the 200-yard freestyle relay and the 50-yard freestyle.
Chase Kinney, Martin, Aja Van Hout and Annie Tamblyn not only won the 200 freestyle relay, but also reset the Big Ten, meet and school records in the process. Blasting to a win in one minute, 27.70 seconds, the UW relay squad earned an NCAA 'A' cut and clinched its trip to the NCAA championships.
“I’m just really proud of these women,” UW head coach Whitney Hite said. “It’s a second faster than the swim from last year. They look forward to these pressure situations.”
The 2014 Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships, Martin has long seemed to thrive in the pressure of championship season. The senior from Madison flat out scorched her way to her second and third Big Ten titles of 2015 on Thursday. Martin's impressive split time of 20.96 seconds gave UW's 200 free relay a huge boost, marking the fastest split in the event by .87 seconds.
Martin joined just a handful of female swimmers in history that have ever broken the 21-second barrier.
“She’s not just elite, she’s super elite,” Hite said of Martin. “In the 17 years I’ve coached, Ivy is the best sprinter I’ve ever seen. When you get an athlete like that, it’s truly an honor to coach them.”
Martin wasn't done. She then followed up later in the evening with another blistering performance in the 50 freestyle, claiming the event title for the third consecutive year with a pool record and NCAA 'A' cut time of 21.65.
It marked the ninth year in a row that a Badger has won the 50 freestyle crown. Martin has won three of those nine.
Also impressing in the 50 freestyle was Kinney and Tamblyn. Kinney finished in sixth place with an NCAA 'B' cut time of 22.45 after lowering her personal best to 22.42 earlier in the day during preliminaries. Rounding out the trio of Badgers was Tamblyn, who placed eighth with a time of 22.72. Tamblyn also recorded a personal best in preliminaries, clocking in at 22.64, an NCAA 'B' cut and the sixth-fastest time in program history.
In the 500-yard freestyle, the distance duo of Danielle Valley and Jenny Holtzen represented Wisconsin in finals. Valley, a sophomore out of Bradenton, Florida, placed 14th with an NCAA 'B' cut time of 4:43.60. Valley recorded the third-fastest in program history. Fayetteville, Arkansas, native Holtzen finished 19th (4:47.85), but earlier in preliminaries recorded a personal best with the sixth-fastest time ever by a Badger at 4:45.16.
All three Badgers competing in the 200-yard individual medley earned NCAA 'B' cuts. Leading the trio was Anna Meinholz, whose 12th-place time of 1:59.68 went down as the ninth-fastest in program history and marked a personal best. Senior Van Hout finished close behind in 13th place (1:59.98) and sophomore Madeline Hazle placed 19th with a time of 2:01.35. Hazle's time in preliminaries (2:01.24) was a personal best.
“We’re swimming well and we can control what we can control,” Hite said. “I feel good about where we are and we are doing the best we can. These women are tough and we tend to swim better as we get into the meet.
"It’s going to be a battle and that’s exciting.”
After the second day of competition, Wisconsin sits in fourth place with 162 points.
