Michigan
Big Ten Championships (Day 3)
Lucky 13th: Wolverines Capture Big Ten Championship
2/17/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Site: Bloomington, Ind. (Counsilman and Billingsley Aquatics Center)
Event: Big Ten Conference Championships (Day 3)
U-M Team Finish: 1st Place of 11 Teams (582 Points)
Next U-M Meet: Fri-Sat., Feb. 23-24 -- host Last Chance Invitational (Canham Natatorium), 5 p.m./11 a.m.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team came from behind Saturday (Feb. 17) to earn its 13th Big Ten Conference Championships title. The No. 16-ranked Wolverines finished with 582 points to overtake Penn State, which slipped to second place with 557 points. Host Indiana (460.5) took third while two-time defending champion Minnesota (340.5) finished in sixth place.
Looking for its first conference championship since 1998, Michigan began the final day of competition down 10 points to Penn State (413-403) but quickly took over first place with 48 points in the first event, the 1,650-yard freestyle. Emily Fenn (Westport, Conn./Staples HS) and Lori Eberwein (Maple Glen/Upper Dublin HS) led the charge, placing fourth (16:30.39) and fifth (16:30.59), respectively, with NCAA consideration times.
The Wolverines widened their advantage over the Nittany Lions to 41 points (494-453) with three top-eight finishes in the 200-yard backstroke. Lindsay Carlberg (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS) placed second (1:58.21), Erin Abbey (Cleveland, Ohio/Mayfield HS) finished fifth (1:59.71) and Jennifer Arndt (Green Bay, Wis./Ashwaubenon HS) claimed eighth (2:00.32), all with NCAA consideration times.
Michigan also had a solid showing in the 100-yard freestyle as Missy Sugar (Newburgh, Ind./Evansville Day School) and Samantha Arsenault (Peabody, Mass./Gardner HS) placed 2-3 in NCAA consideration times of 49.74 and 50.09, respectively.
With two individual events and one relay remaining, U-M held a 59-point lead (527-468) over Penn State, but the Nittany Lions closed the gap by outscoring Michigan 65-15 in the 200-yard breaststroke (48-15) and 200-yard butterfly (17-0). The Wolverines' only points in the two events came from Traci Valasco (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams HS), who finished fourth in the 200 breaststroke in an NCAA consideration time of 2:14.90.
With Michigan leading 542-533 going into the final event, that left it up to the Wolverines' 400-yard relay team, and the group came through. Jennifer Crisman (Hudsonville, Mich./Jenison HS), Annie Weilbacher (Columbus, Ohio/St. Francis de Sales HS), Arsenault and Sugar sealed the victory for the Wolverines as they took first place while setting a Counsilman and Billingsley Aquatics Center record with an NCAA consideration time of 3:19.61. It marks the sixth straight year U-M has won the 400 freestyle relay, with Crisman swimming on the last three championship teams.
Up next for Michigan is its Last Chance Invitational on Friday and Saturday (Feb. 23-24) at Canham Natatorium. The NCAA zone diving meet is scheduled for March 9-10 in Bloomington, Ind., with the NCAA Championships the following week (March 15-17) in Long Island, N.Y.
Complete Big Ten Championships results are available at Indiana's site.
Final Team Standings
1. MICHIGAN 582 2. Penn State 557 3. Indiana 460.5 4. Northwestern 382 5. Wisconsin 359 6. Minnesota 340.5 7. Purdue 275 8. Iowa 254 9. Illinois 226 10. Michigan State 163 11. Ohio State 113
Event Winners/U-M Finishes (Day 3)
(Preliminary time in parentheses if faster than finals time)
1,650-yard Freestyle
1. Vicki West, Northwestern 16:17.20*$ 4. Emily Fenn, U-M 16:30.39# 5. Lori Eberwein, U-M 16:30.59# 9. Lindsay Johnson, U-M 16:47.85# 10. Jenay Karlson, U-M 16:48.31# 14. Mara Sveum, U-M 17:00.47 22. Julie Kern, U-M 17:12.11
200-yard Backstroke
1. Tashy Bohm, Northwestern 1:57.61*$ 2. Lindsay Carlberg, U-M 1:58.21# 5. Erin Abbey, U-M 1:59.71# 8. Jennifer Arndt, U-M 2:00.32# (2:00.19#) 16. Sara Johnson, U-M 2:01.96 (2:01.24) 33. Kathleen Gilbert, U-M 2:04.89
100-yard Freestyle
1. Jenn Cristy, Indiana 49.14*$ 2. Missy Sugar, U-M 49.74# 3. Samantha Arsenault, U-M 50.09# 29. Laura Kaznecki, U-M 52.21 45. Kathleen Gilbert, U-M 52.23 60. Heather DeHainaut, U-M 54.88 61. Maya Mandel, U-M 55.15
200-yard Breaststroke
1. Corrie Clark, Penn State 2:12.16*$ 4. Traci Valasco, U-M 2:14.90# 21. Lisbeth Gobel, U-M 2:21.89 34. Gwen Weingart, U-M 2:27.36
200-yard Butterfly
1. Melissa Loehndorf, Iowa 2:00.14# 21. Andrea Kurrle, U-M 2:07.46
400-yard Freestyle Relay
1. Michigan 3:19.61#$
(Jennifer Crisman, Missy Sugar,
Annie Weilbacher, Samantha Arsenault)
Platform Diving (Exhibition)
1. Natalia Diea, Ohio State 465.50 6. Kelly Vander Kuyl, U-M 322.60
* NCAA automatic qualifying time # NCAA consideration time $ Counsilman and Billingsley Aquatics Center record
NOTES
• Michigan was represented by five individuals on the all-conference team, made up of event winners and three at-large selections. Wolverines who won events were:
Jennifer Crisman -- 100 backstroke, 400 medley relay, 400 freestyle relay
Samantha Arsenault -- 400 medley relay, 400 freestyle relay
Annie Weilbacher -- 400 medley relay, 400 freestyle relay
Traci Valasco -- 400 medley relay
Missy Sugar -- 400 freestyle relay
• Michigan's 13 Big Ten women's swimming and diving titles are a league high for a women's sport, tying Wisconsin women's cross country. The Wolverines' 12 previous Big Ten titles came in succession, from 1987 to 1998.
Big Ten Awards
Freshman of the Year: Kristen Woodring (Penn State)
Swimmer of the Year: Ellen Stonebraker (Wisconsin)
Swimming Coach of the Year: Dorsey Tierney (Indiana)
Diving Coach of the Year: John Narcy (Michigan State)
Swimmer of the Championship: Jenn Cristy (Indiana)
Diver of the Championship: Summer Mitchell (Michigan State), Carly Weiden (Michigan State)
Players Mentioned
