Season Review: 2016-17 Michigan Women's Swimming & Diving
4/13/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
• Team Captains: Maddy Frost, Madison Horton, Keegan McCaffrey
• Record: 5-1 (4-0 in Big Ten)
• Big Ten Championships: 1st (1,287 points)
• NCAA Championships: 11th (159 points)
The University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team took another step forward in 2016-17, winning consecutive Big Ten championships for the first time since 1997-98. The Wolverines sent 13 individual qualifiers to the NCAA Championships, scoring more points than last season despite finishing one spot lower (11th) in the team standings.
The Wolverines lose six seniors to graduation, but offset those losses with a consensus top-five recruiting class next season.
Team Highlights
• The program won its second consecutive Big Ten title in February, the first such streak since 1997-98. The Wolverines held a slim 14.5-point lead after three days of competition, but won by more than 160 points after 26 of the 28 student-athletes on the championships roster scored on the final day alone, overpowering the rest of the Big Ten with their depth. They four individual or relay titles: G Ryan in the 500- and 1,650-yard freestyles, Siobhán Haughey in the 200-yard IM and the 800-yard freestyle relay. Of particular note was the breaststroke group; all seven swimmers entered in both the 100- and 200-yard breaststrokes scored, combining for 175.5 points.
• Michigan finished 11th at the NCAA Championships, scoring 159 points. The program sent 13 individual qualifiers to the meet, including three divers (for the second year in a row) and five first-timers: senior Keegan McCaffrey, junior Carolyn McCann, sophomore Astrid Swensen, freshmen Vanessa Krause and Kristen Hayden. The Wolverines produced an NCAA All-America relay for the first time in 10 years, finishing third in the 800-yard freestyle relay, their highest finish in that event. Five different swimmers were NCAA All-Americans in an individual event: Gabby DeLoof and Siobhán Haughey in the 200-yard freestyle; G Ryan and Yirong Bi in the 500-yard freestyle; and Clara Smiddy in the 200-yard backstroke.
• The Wolverines set 13 new school records (short course yards) in 2016-17: 100-yard freestyle (47.39, Siobhán Haughey), 200-yard freestyle (1:41.21, Siobhán Haughey), 500-yard freestyle (4:34.28, G Ryan), 1,000-yard freestyle (9:28.38, Yirong Bi), 1,650-yard freestyle (15:44.93, G Ryan), 200-yard backstroke (1:50.71, Clara Smiddy), 100-yard breaststroke (59.534, Emily Kopas), 100-yard butterfly (51.71, Vanessa Krause), 200-yard butterfly (1:55.60, Vanessa Krause), 200-yard freestyle relay (1:28.37), 800-yard freestyle relay (6:53.63), 200-yard medley relay (1:37.33) and 400-yard medley relay (3:30.62). Every swimming record has been broken since Mike Bottom took over the program in Sept. 2012.
• Michigan went 5-1 in dual meets, scoring wins over Louisville, Penn State, Indiana, Ohio State and Michigan State. It is 17-0 against Big Ten opponents since the start of the 2014-15 season.
• Fifteen student-athletes earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition in March, which accounts for 75 percent of those eligible on the roster (sophomores, juniors, seniors). In addition, 21 of the 29 student-athletes on the 2016-17 roster earned U-M Athletic Academic Achievement recognition.
Individual Highlights
• Junior G Ryan had their best year yet, winning the 500- and 1,650-yard freestyles at the Big Ten Championships and setting school records in both events. Ryan scored in both events at the NCAA Championships, finishing on the podium (eighth) in the 500-yard freestyle.
• Coming off an appearance at the 2016 Olympics, sophomore Siobhán Haughey had another spectacular season. She scored in all three of her individual events at the NCAA Championships, taking fourth in the 200-yard freestyle, 10th in the 100-yard freestyle and 11th in the 200-yard IM, while swimming on four of the team's five relays. She also won the 200-yard freestyle at the Big Ten Championships.
• Freshman Vanessa Krause shored up the butterfly group, becoming the first Michigan swimmer to score in both events at the NCAA Championships since Melissa Jaeger in 2008. Krause set the school records in both the 100-yard butterfly (51.71) and 200-yard butterfly (1:54.60) this season.
• Junior Clara Smiddy became the first swimmer in 20 years to get NCAA All-America honors in the 200-yard backstroke in consecutive seasons. She was runner-up in the 100-yard backstroke, 200-yard backstroke and 200-yard IM at the Big Ten Championships.
• Junior Gabby DeLoof saw huge time drops across the board this season, finishing sixth in the 200-yard freestyle at the NCAA Championships. She ended the year with the second-fastest times in program history in both the 200-yard freestyle (1:43.11) and the 200-yard backstroke (1:52.63).
• Three divers (Kristen Hayden, Keegan McCaffrey, Allie Murphy) qualified to the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive year, a feat last achieved in 1993-94. Two of them -- Hayden (platform), Murphy (three-meter) -- scored points and earned NCAA All-America Honorable Mentions, marking the first time the program has had two separate scorers at the same NCAA Championships since 1994.
Honors and Awards
Yirong
Bi
Gabby
DeLoof
Siobhán
Haughey
Vanessa
Krause
G
Ryan
Clara
Smiddy
NCAA All-Americans
Yirong Bi (500-yard Freestyle)
Gabby DeLoof (200-yard Freestyle)
Siobhán Haughey (200-yard Freestyle)
G Ryan (500-yard Freestyle)
Clara Smiddy (200-yard Backstroke)
800-yard Freestyle Relay (Gabby DeLoof, Yirong Bi, Siobhán Haughey, G Ryan)
NCAA All-America Honorable Mentions
Yirong Bi (1,650-yard Freestyle)
Siobhán Haughey (100-yard Freestyle, 200-yard IM)
Kristen Hayden (Platform Diving)
Vanessa Krause (100-yard Butterfly, 200-yard Butterfly)
Allie Murphy (Three-Meter Diving)
G Ryan (1,650-yard Freestyle)
400-yard Freestyle Relay (Siobhán Haughey, Catie DeLoof, Gabby DeLoof, Becca Postoll)
400-yard Medley Relay (Clara Smiddy, Emily Kopas, Vanessa Krause, Siobhán Haughey)
Big Ten Champions
G Ryan (500-yard Freestyle, 1,650-yard Freestyle)
Siobhán Haughey (200-yard Freestyle)
800-yard Freestyle Relay (Yirong Bi, Siobhán Haughey, Gabby DeLoof, G Ryan)
Big Ten Awards
All-Big Ten (First Team): Yirong Bi, Gabby DeLoof, Siobhán Haughey, G Ryan
All-Big Ten (Second Team: Catie DeLoof, Vanessa Krause, Becca Postoll, Clara Smiddy
Sportsmanship Honoree: Allie Murphy
Big Ten Weekly Awards
Swimmer of the Week: Yirong Bi (Oct. 12, Feb. 8), Siobhán Haughey (Nov. 9, Jan. 18, Feb. 1), Emily Kopas (Jan. 4)
Freshman of the Week: Vanessa Krause (Oct. 19, Jan. 4, Jan. 18)
Academic All-Big Ten
Yirong Bi, So., Undeclared, Hangzhou, China
Julia Fiks Salem, Sr., Business Administration, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Maddy Frost, Sr., Screen Arts & Cultures, Saline, Mich.
Siobhán Haughey, So., Psychology, Hong Kong
Madison Horton, Sr., Ecology & Evolutionary Biology & History, Milton, Ga.
Celia Keany, Sr., Chemical Engineering, Lake Oswego, Ore.
Emily Kopas, Jr., Environment, Davie, Fla.
Keegan McCaffrey, Sr., Psychology, Rochester Hills, Mich.
Carolyn McCann, Jr., Civil Engineering, Gig Harbor, Wash.
Becca Postoll, So., Movement Science, Charlotte, N.C.
G Ryan, Jr., English & Women's Studies, Kutztown, Pa.
Clara Smiddy, Jr., Economics & International Studies, Miami, Fla.
Astrid Swensen, So., Movement Science, Beverly, Mass.
Samantha Yeo, Jr., Neuroscience, Singapore
Jamie Yeung, So., Undeclared, Hong Kong
Communications Contact: Brad Rudner
Players Mentioned
