Michigan
Wisconsin
DeJong, Vanderkaay Lead Wolverines Past Wisconsin
11/5/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving
MADISON, Wis. -- The No. 9 University of Michigan men's swimming and diving team opened the Big Ten Conference season tonight (Friday, Nov. 5) with a 132-103 victory at Wisconsin. Michigan posted the top times in 10 of the 13 events. The Wolverines (2-0, 1-0 Big Ten) received a pair of victories from both Chris DeJong (Holland, Mich./Holland HS) and Peter Vanderkaay (Rochester, Mich./Adams HS) to help seal the win. DeJong won the 200-yard individual medley and the 200-yard backstroke, while Vanderkaay finished first in the 100- and 200-yard freestyle events. The victory improves Michigan's record to 42-5 all-time against Wisconsin, including 14 straight against the Badgers. U-M has also now won 23 straight Big Ten openers.
Other individual winners for Michigan included Brendan Neligan (Briarwood, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy HS) in the 1,000-yard freestyle, Davis Tarwater (Knoxville, Tenn./Webb School) in the 200-yard butterfly and Alex Vanderkaay (Rochester, Mich./Adams HS) in the 500-yard freestyle. Christian Vanderkaay (Rochester, Mich./Adams HS) posted the top time in the 200-yard breaststroke as an exhibition competitor.
The Wolverines got things started with the top two teams in the 400-yard medley relay. The squad of Nicholas Douville (Dayton, Ohio/Archbishop Alter), Michael Galindo (Washington, D.C./Gonzaga College), Andrew Hack (Chelsea, Mich./Chelsea HS) and Andrew Albright (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS) posted the top time of 3:26.50, while Alex Vanderkaay, Dane Grenda (Hockessin, Del./Salesianum HS), Christian Vanderkaay and Grant Burtch (Holland, Mich./Holland HS) finished second in 3:33.96.
After Neligan's victory in the 1,000-yard freestyle, Peter Vanderkaay posted U-M's first NCAA qualifying time of the season, hitting the 'B' standard in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:38.38. The Wolverines finished 1-3-4 in the event with Tarwater claiming the third spot in 1:39.43 and Alex Vanderkaay finishing fourth in 1:41.41.
After UW's Adam Mania won the 50-yard freestyle, DeJong hit the 'B' standard with a time of 1:49.82 in the 200-yard IM. Chuck Sayao (Mississauga, Ont./Cawthra Park HS) finished third at 1:53.83 and Grenda came in fourth, touching the wall in 1:55.00.
In the one-meter springboard diving, the top scorer in the event, UW's Josh Bonner, won the event, leaving U-M's Jake Boehm (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South HS) and Jon Donadee (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield HS) in second and third, respectively. Boehm finished with a final score of 266.93 and Donadee was right behind at 261.53.
Following the diving break, Michigan finished in the top three spots in the 200-yard butterfly. Tarwater led the way at 1:52.17, followed by Neligan in second at 1:54.74 and Douville in third at 1:54.85.
After Peter Vanderkaay won his second event of the season in the 100-yard freestyle in a 'B' standard time of 44.82 and DeJong won his fifth event of the season in the 200-yard backstroke in a 'B' standard time of 1:45.28, the Wolverines finished 1-2-3 in the 500-yard freestyle. Alex Vanderkaay earned his first individual win as a Wolverine, finishing in 4:34.85. Zayd Ma (Ann Arbor, Mich./Clonlara HS) took second in 4:39.09 and Jorge Carral (Mexico City, Mex./The Bolles School, Fla.) claimed third in 4:39.46.
Michigan exhibitioned all of its swimmers in the final two events of the night but still posted the top times in the 200-yard beaststroke and the 400-yard freestyle relay. Christian Vanderkaay led a 1-2-3 finish in the 200 breast, and the team of DeJong, Tarwater, Sayao and Peter Vanderkaay was the first to touch the wall in the relay event.
The Wolverines will have a week off before facing Michigan State on Friday, Nov. 19, at 6 p.m. in East Lansing, Mich.
Contact: Paul Dickerson (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
