Season Preview: 2017-18 Michigan Men's Swimming and Diving
9/27/2017 3:42:00 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving
With 23 letterwinners returning and several newcomers with international experience, the University of Michigan men's swimming and diving team enters its 97th season of varsity competition looking to reclaim the Big Ten title and a team trophy at the NCAA Championships.
Three Storylines
» With 23 letterwinners returning, the Wolverines are seeking redemption in 2018 after seeing their seven-year win streak come to an end last year.
» The 2017-18 season marks the last hurrah for a talented senior class. Paul Powers, PJ Ransford and Tristan Sanders are all former Big Ten champions and enter the season appearing at least once on the school's all-time top times list.
» The sophomore class showed plenty of promise last year as freshmen, amassing 423 points at the Big Ten Championships, more than two entire teams. Among the standouts included Felix Auböck, the Big Ten Swimmer and Freshman of the Year and Charlie Swanson, a 2017-18 U.S. National Team member.
2016-17 Recap
• Record: 5-1 (3-1 Big Ten)
• Big Ten Championships: T-2nd (1,382 points)
• NCAA Championships: 17th (82 points)
• Big Ten Champions (4): Felix Auböck (500-yard Freestyle, 1,650-yard Freestyle), Paul Powers (50-yard Freestyle), Charlie Swanson (400-yard IM)
• NCAA All-Americans (3): Felix Auböck (500-yard Freestyle, 1,650-yard Freestyle), PJ Ransford (1,650-yard Freestyle), Paul Powers (50-yard Freestyle)
• NCAA All-America Honorable Mentions (3): Felix Auböck (200-yard Freestyle), Jacob Montague (200-yard Breaststroke), 800-yard Freestyle Relay
2017 Roster Breakdown
• Distance: Reigning Big Ten Swimmer of the Year Felix Auböck continued to swim at a high level over the summer, finaling in two events at the FINA World Championships in Budapest … Senior PJ Ransford was named to the U.S. National Team for the second consecutive year, while Ricardo Vargas enters the mix as a freshman. He represented Mexico at the 2016 Olympics in Rio … Sophomore Charlie Swanson aces the 400 IMs in both long course (named to the National Team) and short course (reigning Big Ten champion).
• Sprint Freestyle: Senior Paul Powers leads the way, looking to become the second man in Big Ten history to win four consecutive Big Ten titles in the 50-yard freestyle (Matt Grevers, Northwestern, 2004-07). He enters the season holding the U-M and Big Ten records in the event … Among the new additions to the group are graduate student transfer and former NCAA Championships individual qualifier James Peek (Duke) and freshman Luiz Gustavo Borges, the son of 10-time NCAA champion and Michigan swimming legend Gustavo Borges.
• Backstroke: Senior Tristan Sanders, a former Big Ten champion in the 200-yard backstroke (2016), headlines the group. His name appears twice on the school's recordboard, ranking second in the 200-yard backstroke and fifth in the 100-yard backstroke … Sophomores Rob Zofchak and Alex Martin provide depth and scoring potential; both achieved NCAA 'B' times last season as freshmen in the 100-yard backstroke.
• Butterfly: Senior Evan White has been a mainstay here, finishing no lower than fourth in nine individual races at his three Big Ten Championships appearances. On the school's all-time list, White ranks fifth in the 200-yard butterfly and sixth in both the 100-yard butterfly and 200-yard IM … One of the biggest risers over the last year has been Miles Smachlo, who was the 10th-fastest American swimmer in the 200-meter butterfly for the 2016-17 year.
• Breaststroke: Look out for the sophomores! Grosse Pointe native Jacob Montague was sharp all year, following a successful college season with two finals swims at the Phillips 66 National Championships back in June … Following Montague, the trio of Swanson, Jeremy Babinet and Tommy Cope should score plenty of points in the breaststroke.
• Diving: It's a group without a senior, but the arrival of freshman Ross Todd should elevate the entire group. He is a member of the Australin Senior National Team and is a two-time World Junior Championships qualifier … Sophomores Steven Anderson and Jake Herremans will look to take the next step in their developments in year two under coach Mike Hilde.
Felix Auböck
2017 Schedule
• The Wolverines open the season with a two-competition weekend, facing Oakland on Sept. 29 and hosting the Michigan Water Carnival on Sept. 30. It is the only time the team is home all fall.
• In addition to Oakland, Michigan will compete against Louisville (Oct. 20-21), Minnesota, Wisconsin and Penn State (Nov. 3-4), Indiana (Jan. 13), Ohio State and Virginia Tech (Jan. 20) and Michigan State (Feb. 2). The Wolverines are 82-5-1 in dual meets since 2007.
• For the second consecutive year, Michigan will travel south for its midseason meet, competing at the Georgia Invitational in Athens from Dec. 1-3.
• The Big Ten Championships (Feb. 21-24) and NCAA Championships (March 21-24) will both take place at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Players Mentioned
