Michigan
Ohio State
Wolverines Dominate Distance Events, Top Buckeyes
1/29/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Sweeps of the top three spots in the distance freestyle races propelled the No. 6-ranked University of Michigan men's swimming and diving team to a 125-118 victory over No. 23 Ohio State on Saturday (Jan. 29) in the final meet at OSU's Mike Peppe Aquatic Center.
Senior Andrew Hurd (Oakville, Ontario/Trafalger) and juniors Davis Tarwater (Knoxville, Tenn./Webb School) and Peter Vanderkaay (Rochester, Mich./Adams HS) each posted two wins in individual events, with Hurd claiming the 200- and 500-yard freestyles, Tarwater winning the 200 individual medley and 200 butterfly, and Vanderkaay placing first in the 1,000 and 100 freestyle races.
After junior Chris DeJong (Holland, Mich./Holland HS), fifth-year senior Christian Vanderkaay (Rochester, Mich./Adams HS), Tarwater and Peter Vanderkaay won the 200 medley relay (1:30.54) to begin the meet, Peter Vanderkaay led a 1-2-3 sweep for U-M in the 1,000 freestyle. Vanderkaay posted a time of 9:30.53 and was followed to the wall by senior Brendan Neligan (Briarwood, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy HS) and freshman Johnny Austermann (Huntington Woods, Mich./Berkley HS) to give the Wolverines an early 27-9 lead.
Hurd picked up his first victory of the meet in the 200 freestyle, clocking in at 1:40.23 to outduel Buckeyes Tommy Seay (1:40.48) and Marty Tomes (1:40.62). Following DeJong's second-place finish in the 50 freestyle (21.03), Tarwater's first win -- with a time of 1:51.14 in the 200 individual medley -- helped the Wolverines to a 55-38 advantage heading into the first diving break, but Ohio State closed to 58-54 by sweeping the top three spots on the one-meter springboard.
The Wolverines won the next four events to build a commanding 113-75 lead and put the meet out of reach. Tarwater came back after the diving break to claim first in the 200 butterfly (1:48.87), with senior Zayd Ma (Ann Arbor, Mich./Clonlara HS) placing runner-up in 1:49.97. Peter Vanderkaay then won the 100 freestyle title with a time of 45.05, edging OSU's Seay (45.26).
DeJong swam an NCAA consideration time of 1:45.08 in winning the 200 backstroke, with freshman Dane Grenda (Hockessin, Del./Salesianum HS) a distant second in 1:50.17. And in the 500 freestyle, Michigan took the top three spots, with Hurd (4:38.17), Neligan (4:38.60) and junior Jorge Carral (Mexico City, Mexico/The Bolles School, Fla.) giving U-M its second distance sweep of the day. Christian Vanderkaay added a runner-up showing in the 200 breaststroke (2:02.82).
The Wolverines, who finished their dual meet schedule with marks of 7-2 overall and 5-0 against Big Ten Conference opponents, are off until the Big Ten Championships, scheduled for Feb. 24-26 with defending champion Minnesota hosting in Minneapolis, Minn.
Contact: Paul Dickerson (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
