Weekly Release #8
2/20/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving
Upcoming Schedule
Thu-Sat., Feb. 22-24 -- at Big Ten Championships (Minneapolis, Minn.), Noon/7 p.m. CST
Saturday, March 3 -- host Michigan Collegiate Invitational (Canham Natatorium), Noon
Big Ten Championships
The ninth-ranked University of Michigan men's swimming and diving team (5-4, 4-0 Big Ten) will travel to Minneapolis, Minn., to defend its title in the 2001 Big Ten Conference Men's Swimming and Diving Championships. Minnesota will be hosting the three-day event Thursday through Saturday (Feb. 22-24) at the University Aquatic Center.
Complete results will be provided at the Minnesota and Big Ten Championships sites.
Schedule of Events
Events will begin each day with preliminaries at noon CST, and the finals session will start at 7 p.m. The Big Ten Championship schedule is as follows:
| Thursday, Feb. 22 | 200-yard freestyle relay 500-yard freestyle 200-yard individual medley 50-yard freestyle One-meter diving 400-yard medley relay |
Friday, Feb. 23 | 200-yard medley relay 400-yard individual medley 100-yard butterfly 200-yard freestyle 100-yard breaststroke 100-yard backstroke Three-meter diving 800-yard freestyle relay |
Saturday, Feb. 24 | 1,650-yard freestyle 200-yard backstroke 100-yard freestyle 200-yard breaststroke 200-yard butterfly Platform diving (exhibition) 400-yard freestyle relay |
Admission Info
Admission to the event can be purchased as a three-day pass, including all sessions, for $35. Individual session tickets are also available. Single-session tickets to preliminary events are $5 while single-session tickets to event finals are $8. There is no discount for children, seniors or students. Please contact the Minnesota box office at (612) 624-8080 for more information.
The Quest for 32
Defending champion Michigan is looking to win the Big Ten Conference title for the 32nd time in 79 seasons. The Wolverines' 31 team titles is eight more than second-place Indiana (23). In 18 years at the helm of the Maize and Blue Head, head coach Jon Urbanchek and diving coach Dick Kimball have helped guide their teams to 12 Big Ten championships, including 10 consecutive from 1986-95. The Wolverines got their 11th title in 1997 and the 12th last season.
Timing Thompson
Chris Thompson (Roseburg, Ore./Roseburg HS) is the three-time defending champion in the 500- and 1,650-yard freestyles and will attempt to become the fourth person in conference history to win four straight titles in two individual events. He would join former Wolverines Derya Buyukuncu (1995-98, 100- and 200-yard backstrokes) and Gustavo Borges (1992-95, 100- and 200-yard freestyles) and Indiana's John Kinsella (1971-74, 500- and 1,650-yard freestyles) in the select group.
Returning Individual Big Ten Champions
U-M has four returning Big Ten champions from last year in 2000 Olympic bronze medalist Chris Thompson, senior Scott Werner (Haymarket, Va./Paul VI HS), junior Tim Siciliano (San Marcos, Calif./San Marcos HS) and junior Jeff Hopwood (Palo Alto, Calif./Palo Alto HS).
Thompson claimed first in both the 500- and 1,650-yard freestyle races in Canham Natatorium-record times of 4:20.31 and 14:50.86, respectively. Werner took first in the 200-yard individual medley (1:47.71) while Siciliano won the 400-yard individual medley (3:50.78) and set a new Canham Natatorium record in the preliminaries. Hopwood also had a first-place finish, in the 100-yard breaststroke (55.01). All four individual Big Ten Conference champions received All-Big Ten honors.
U-M Big Ten Championships Event Titles
| Chris Thompson (6) | 2000 -- | 500-yard freestyle (4:20.31)! 1,650-yard freestyle (14:50.86)! |
| | 1999 -- | 500-yard freestyle (4:17.17) 1,650-yard freestyle (14:43.95)# |
| | 1998 -- | 500-yard freestyle (4:19.46) 1,650-yard freestyle (14:44.59) |
| Jeff Hopwood (3) | 2000 -- | 100-yard breaststroke (55.01) |
| | 1999 -- | 100-yard breaststroke (54.64) 200-yard breaststroke (1:58.25) |
| Tim Siciliano (2) | 2000 -- | 400-yard individual medley (3:50.78) |
| | 1999 -- | 400-yard individual medley (3:46.23) |
| Scott Werner (1) | 2000 -- | 200-yard individual medley (1:47.71) |
! Canham Natatorium record; # Big Ten Championships record | ||
Recap of 2000 Big Ten Conference Championships
The 1999-2000 season saw U-M win its 31st Big Ten Conference men's swimming and diving championships, earning 682 points -- 81 more than second-place Minnesota -- at Canham Natatorium in Ann Arbor. The first day of competition saw the Maize and Blue assume first place with 218 points, 53 ahead of Penn State (165). U-M had 12 top-10 finishers and new Canham Natatorium pool records were set in the day's five swimming events.
On day two the Wolverines continued their dominance with two first-place finishes, by Tim Siciliano in the 400-yard individual medley (3:50.78) and Jeff Hopwood in the 100-yard breaststroke (54.64). U-M increased its first-place score to 437 points and was 59 points over second-place Penn State (378).
The Wolverines were overpowering in the 1,650-yard freestyle, the first event of day three. U-M had six top-nine finishers for 86 points and the commanding lead. Chris Thompson defended his crown in the event while setting a new pool record. Siciliano took second in the event while Mike McWha and Justin Drake (Phoenix, Ariz./Arcadia HS) placed fourth and fifth, respectively.
After helping lead U-M to its 31st title, head coach Jon Urbanchek was named the Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year for the seventh time.
Last Time in the Pool
The Wolverines have been off for two weeks since their win at Michigan State (133-95, Feb. 3). Against the Spartans, the Maize and Blue saw freshman diver Jason Coben (Newtown Square, Pa./Maple Newtown HS) collect two first-place finishes, posting an NCAA zone diving qualifying mark of 327.90 on the three-meter springboard, and taking the one-meter at 284.40.
The 200-yard medley relay team of Jordan Watland (Excelsior, Minn./Minnetonka HS), Tony Kurth (Toledo, Ohio/St. Francis de Sales HS), Matt Raines (Owosso, Mich./Corunna HS) and Scott Werner took first place and set a new McCaffree Pool record of 1:31.48 against the Spartans.
Wolverines in the National Rankings
Seven Michigan swimmers are among the national top 25 in their respective events in the latest rankings (Feb. 19), led by Chris Thompson, who is ranked in the top five nationally in three events. Thompson is No. 2 in the 1,000-yard freestyle (8:57.18) and is listed fourth in the 1,650 freestyle (15:06.40) and fifth in the 500 freestyle (4:22.87).
Scott Werner holds two top 25 rankings, with the No. 3 time in the 200-yard breaststroke (1:58.35) and a No. 11 listing in the 100-yard breaststoke (55.23).
U-M Individuals in the National Top 25 Rankings (2/19/01)
| Name | Event (Yards) | Rank | Time | Date |
| Chris Thompson | 500 freestyle | 5th | 4:22.87 | Jan. 20 |
| | 1,000 freestyle | 2nd | 8:57.18 | Jan. 5 |
| | 1,650 freestyle | 4th | 15:06.40 | Jan. 19 |
| Scott Werner | 100 breaststroke | 11th | 55.23 | Dec. 2 |
| | 200 breaststroke | 3rd | 1:58.35 | Dec. 3 |
| Dan Ketchum | 500 freestyle | 17th | 4:25.22 | Dec. 1 |
| | 1,650 freestyle | 13th | 15:16.92 | Feb. 2 |
| Garrett Mangieri | 200 freestyle | 16th | 1:37.42 | Jan. 6 |
| Tim Siciliano | 500 freestyle | 20th | 4:25.84 | Jan. 20 |
| | 1,000 freestyle | 15th | 9:10.06 | Feb. 3 |
| | 1,650 freestyle | 12th | 15:16.84 | Jan. 19 |
| Jeff Hopwood | 200 breaststroke | 18th | 2:01.03 | Nov. 3 |
| Justin Drake | 1,650 freestyle | 17th | 15:20.09 | Feb. 2 |
Michigan Ranked Ninth in CSCAA Poll
U-M is ranked No. 9 in the latest CSCAA Coaches Poll (Feb. 16). Other Big Ten schools in the rankings are No. 13 Penn State, No. 16 Minnesota, No. 19 Purdue and No. 22 Wisconsin. The final poll is scheduled to be released March 8.
Speedo America's CSCAA Coaches Poll (2/16/01)
1. Texas (7) 199 2. Tennessee (1) 189 3. Stanford 187 4. Texas A&M 172 5. California 168 6. Auburn 163 7. Arizona 154 8. Southern Cal 143 9. MICHIGAN 134 10. Florida 130 11. Virginia 120 12. Georgia 110 13. Penn State 96 Arizona State 96 15. North Carolina 86 16. Minnesota 80 17. Brigham Young 77 18. Pittsburgh 58 19. Harvard 55 20. Southern Methodist 48 21. Purdue 39 22. Wisconsin 25 23. Kentucky 24 24. Georgia Tech 22 25. Washington 11
Contact: Karen Simpson (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
