Ryan, Smiddy Win Two Medals Each at Pan Am Games
7/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
July 19, 2015
Clara Smiddy (far right)
TORONTO, Ontario -- University of Michigan women's swimmers Gillian Ryan and Clara Smiddy each won two medals for Team USA at the 2015 Pan American Games, which ran from July 14-18 at the CIBC Pan Am/Parapan Am Aquatics Centre. Alum Emily Brunemann (2006-08, 2010) was also in action for Team USA, participating in the open water swimming competition on July 11 at the Ontario Place West Channel.
Smiddy won bronze medals in the 100-meter backstroke (1:00.49) and the 200-meter backstroke (2:11.47). Both of those times are new U-M records for long course meters.
Ryan won a bronze in the 400-meter freestyle (4:09.46) and an additional gold medal as part of the 4x200-meter freestyle relay (7:54.32). Her time in the 400-meter freestyle is a new U-M record for long course meters. In that race, Ryan was in last place at the halfway point, but improved on every 50-meter split after that (31.59 at the 250-meter mark, 31.32 at 300, 30.45 at 350 and 29.51 at 400) to earn a spot on the podium. She also anchored the 4x200-meter freestyle relay, splitting 1:59.12, as the quartet set a new Pan Am Games record by almost seven seconds.
Brunemann narrowly missed out on a medal in the open water 10K, taking fourth (2:03:17.5) behind Eva Fabian (USA), Paola Perez Sierra (Venezuela) and Samantha Arevalo Salinas (Ecuador).The top four swimmers all finished within a half-second of each other.
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