Michigan
Notre Dame
Fenn, Stein Excel But Irish Edge Wolverines in Final Event
2/1/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team was edged out by Notre Dame, 153-147, in its final dual meet of the season this afternoon (Saturday, Feb. 1) at Rolfs Aquatics Center. Trailing by one point going into the final event, the No. 19 Wolverines needed to post a victory in the 200-yard freestyle relay to pull out the victory. No. 18 Notre Dame earned a 0.33-second edge in the event, however, to seal the win and improve to 9-1-1 in dual meets this season. Michigan closes out its dual schedule with an even 3-3 record.
The Maize and Blue posted seven victories against the Fighting Irish, including two each from juniors Emily-Clare Fenn (Westport, Conn./Staples HS) and Kelli Stein (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Waterson HS). Sophomore Amy McCullough (West Bloomfield, Mich./Mercy HS) and junior co-captain Anne Weilbacher (Columbus, Ohio/St. Francis de Sales HS) earned individual wins, while U-M's 200-yard medley relay squad also was victorious.
Michigan posted wins in four of the first five events to take an early lead. The medley relay unit of senior Erin Abbey (Highland Heights, Ohio/Mayfield HS), Stein, Weilbacher and freshman Abby Seskevics (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven HS) opened the competition with a nearly two-second win. Fenn and McCullough then won consecutive events with NCAA consideration times. Fenn posted a 16:40.28 result in the 1,650-yard freestyle, her best time this season, while McCullough earned more than a three-second cushion with her time of 1:50.06 in the 200-yard freestyle.
Following a win by Stein in the 200-yard breaststroke, the Fighting Irish rallied for wins in the next five events to retake the lead. Michigan kept the score close, though, by taking both second and third in all five races. Weilbacher was a close second in the 200-yard butterfly with a consideration time (2:02.52), while Seskevics swam a career-best time of 24.21 in the 50-yard freestyle to lead a group of three Wolverines occupying second through fourth places.
U-M regained the lead with three consecutive wins of its own. Stein snapped the Michigan drought in the 200-yard breaststroke with her second win of the day, while Fenn and Weilbacher followed with victories in the 500-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly, respectively.
The streak gave the Wolverines a brief lead, but Notre Dame turned the tide in the final two events after each squad battled to a deadlock in the three-meter diving competition, as ND's Megahn Perry-Eaton posted the win but Michigan's squad captured nine points with second-, third- and fourth-place finishes.
Trailing by eight with two events remaining, Notre Dame picked up nine points in the 200-yard individual medley and then went on to seal the win with its close win in the 200-yard free relay.
Michigan has a two-week break from competition to train for the 2003 Big Ten Conference Championships, scheduled for Wednesday through Saturday, Feb. 19-22, at the Boilermaker Aquatic Center in West Lafayette, Ind.
Event Winners/U-M Finishes
200-yard Medley Relay
1. Michigan "A" 1:44.67 (Erin Abbey, Kelli Stein, Anne Weilbacher, Abby Seskevics) 3. Michigan "B" 1:48.51 (Laura Kaznecki, Elsa Larson, Erica Watts, Tracy Egnatuk)
1,650-yard Freestyle
1. Emily-Clare Fenn, U-M 16:40.28# 4. Lori Eberwein, U-M 17:18.01 5. Julie Kern, U-M 17:19.59
200-yard Freestyle
1. Amy McCullough, U-M 1:50.06# 6. Jenay Karlson, U-M 1:57.89 7. Maya Mandel, U-M 2:04.93
100-yard Backstroke
1. Danielle Hulick, ND 56.33# 2. Sara Johnson, U-M 57.68 3. Erin Abbey, U-M 57.76
100-yard Breaststroke
1. Kelli Stein, U-M 1:04.74 5. Elsa Larson, U-M 1:07.18
200-yard Butterfly
1. Lisa Garcia, ND 2:01.03# 2. Anne Weilbacher, U-M 2:02.52# 6. Erica Watts, U-M 2:08.99
50-yard Freestyle
1. Danielle Hulick, ND 23.90 2. Abby Seskevics, U-M 24.21 3. Laura Kaznecki, U-M 24.31 4. Tracy Egnatuck, U-M 24.50 8. Maya Mandel, U-M 26.52
One-meter Diving
1. Meghan Perry-Eaton, ND 322.64^ 2. Tealin Kelemen, U-M 267.52^ 3. Alexis Goolik, U-M 248.02 4. Kelly Vander Kuyl, U-M 238.64 6. Emily Koglin, U-M 208.72 ex. Courtney Larson, U-M 215.92
100-yard Freestyle
1. Heidi Hendrick, ND 51.86 2. Amy McCullough, U-M 52.26 3. Abby Seskevics, U-M 52.66 4. Laura Kaznecki, U-M 53.37 6. Clinique Brundidge, U-M 54.86 ex. Maya Mandel, U-M 57.03
200-yard Backstroke
1. Kristen Peterson, ND 2:03.42 2. Sara Johnson, U-M 2:04.10 3. Erin Abbey, U-M 2:04.85
200-yard Breaststroke
1. Kelli Stein, U-M 2:18.77 3. Elsa Larson, U-M 2:21.42
500-yard Freestyle
1. Emily-Clare Fenn, U-M 4:56.97 2. Amy McCullough, U-M 4:57.15 5. Lori Eberwein, U-M 5:06.65 7. Julie Kern, U-M 5:17.19
100-yard Butterfly
1. Anne Weilbacher, U-M 55.38# 6. Erica Watts, U-M 59.16 7. Clinique Brundidge, U-M 1:00.16
Three-meter Diving
1. Meghan Perry-Eaton, ND 307.95^ 2. Tealin Kelemen, U-M 261.37 3. Kelly Vander Kuyl, U-M 251.92 4. Alexis Goolik, U-M 247.05 5. Emily Koglin, U-M 218.02 ex. Courtney Larson, U-M 213.75
200-yard Individual Medley
1. Marie Labosky, ND 2:05.82 2. Sara Johnson, U-M 2:06.19 6. Elsa Larson, U-M 2:14.08
200-yard Freestyle Relay
1. Notre Dame "A" 1:35.06 2. Michigan "A" 1:35.36 3. Michigan "B" 1:36.52 5. Michigan "C" 1:42.67 # NCAA consideration time ^ NCAA zone diving qualifying mark
Contact: Andrew Ladd (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
