Michigan
Michigan State
Urbanchek, Seniors Leave Natatorium on Winning Note
2/6/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 10-ranked University of Michigan men's swimming and diving team gave 22-year head coach Jon Urbanchek his 100th and final Big Ten Conference dual-meet victory as the Wolverines topped intrastate rival Michigan State 141-96 Friday (Feb. 6) on Senior Night at Canham Natatorium. The Wolverines posted the fastest time or best score in 14 of 15 events. Highlighting the night's performances was senior Jason Coben (Newtown Square, Pa./Marple Newtown HS), who set a Big Ten Conference six-dive record of 379.35 on the one-meter springboard.
| | Urbanchek won 100 of 104 Big Ten Conference dual meets during his career, a 96.2 percent success rate. |
Michigan jumped out early and never trailed in the meet, with the 400-yard medley relay foursome of Michael Galindo (Washington, D.C./Gonzaga College), Hack, Davis Tarwater (Knoxville, Tenn./Webb School) and Ketchum posted the winning time of 3:22.25.
Wera was the first U-M senior to touch the wall with a win when the finished the 1,000-yard freestyle with a time of 9:36.09. Wera battled teammate Zayd Ma (Ann Arbor, Mich./Clonara HS) for the entire race as Ma turned in a runner-up showing of 9:39.09. Wera's win was his first individual victory of the season.
Next on the list of senior winners was Coben, who took home the first of his two victories on the springboard, winning the one-meter event with an NCAA zone diving qualifying and Big Ten record six-dive score of 379.35 in the Dick Kimball Diving Pool. The score topped the previous best of 371.60 set by Ohio State's David Pichler in 1992.
Coben earned his second win of the evening on the three-meter springboard as he completed his six-dive total with an NCAA zone diving qualifying mark of 362.93. Coben was followed in the standings by fellow senior Dusty Garwood (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser HS), who finished second with a score of 298.89, his best performance of the season.
Porth quickly followed with another win when he earned the top spot in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:41.03. It was also his first individual event win of the season.
Ketchum became the fourth senior Wolverine to claim a victory as the captain touched the wall with a winning time of 1:50.22 in the 200-yard individual medley. Ketchum earned the victory, though teammate Chris DeJong (Holland, Mich./Holland HS) led for the first 180 yards before pulling back and giving the win to Ketchum.
The Wolverines will be off until the Big Ten Conference Championships, which will be held Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 26-28, in West Lafayette, Ind. Last year the Wolverines claimed their 32nd Big Ten championship, winning the league title in their home pool at Canham Natatorium.
N O T E S
Head coach Jon Urbanchek won his 100th career Big Ten dual meet as the Wolverines downed Michigan State 141-96. Urbanchek ends his 22-year head coaching career at Michigan with a 100-4 career record in Big Ten dual meet action for a winning percentage of .962.
The dual meet with Michigan State was Jon Urbanchek's 200th career dual meet as the head coach for the Michigan men's swimming and diving program. In those 200 dual meets, Urbanchek boosts a record of 164-36, a winning percentage of .820.
Michigan secured at least a tie for the winter season Pontiac Challenge Cup as U-M now has a 3-1 lead. If the two schools finish the winter weason tied at 3-3, Michigan will retain the Pontiac Challenge Cup trophy as the Wolverines captured the fall trophy by a 5.5-0.5 margin.
Contact: Gene Skidmore (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
