Michigan
Oakland
Depth Guides U-M to Season-Opening Sweep of Oakland
9/29/2017 9:24:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Canham Natatorium)
Score: Michigan 203, Oakland 90
Records: U-M (1-0), OU (0-1)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Sept. 30 -- host Michigan Water Carnival (Canham Natatorium), 11 a.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Eleven student-athletes won to propel the University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team to a clean 16-event sweep of Oakland, winning the season opener, 203-90, on Friday (Sept. 29) inside Canham Natatorium.
"This is a motivated bunch of individuals who want to get better as the season goes on," said head swimming and diving coach Mike Bottom. "They're supporting each other. It's that spirit that is going to benefit the entire team as we move forward."
» The Wolverines won all 16 events vs. Oakland. Eleven different student-athletes were individual winners.
» Siobhán Haughey, Clara Smiddy, Catie DeLoof and Taylor Garcia each claimed at least one NCAA 'B' time on Friday. Haughey and Vanessa Krause each won two swimming events.
» Nikki Canale swept the diving events, taking first place on the one- and three-meter springboards.
Coming off a fantastic summer on the international stage, junior Siobhán Haughey didn't show any signs of rust, easily winning the 100-yard freestyle (48.57) and 200-yard freestyle (1:45.71), the latter coming by nearly five seconds. Both times cleared the NCAA 'B' standard. Sophomore Vanessa Krause was the other swimmer to win multiple times, claiming the 100-yard butterfly (54.98) and the 200-yard butterfly (2:01.14).
Freshman Nikki Canale swept both springboard events in the diving well, reaching her NCAA Zone Diving qualifying score on one-meter (274.80) and coming close on three-meter (267.60).
It was also a night of firsts. In her first individual swim as a member of the Maize and Blue, junior Taylor Garcia, the transfer from Arizona, touched out senior Clara Smiddy to win the 100-yard backstroke (54.03). Later in the meet, it was Ann Arbor native Emma Cleason who got her first collegiate win, taking the 200-yard IM (2:05.10).
Junior Jamie Yeung overtook the field from an outside lane to win the 200-yard breaststroke (2:17.98), while Smiddy cruised in the 200-yard backstroke (1:57.51), winning by nearly five seconds. Other individual winners included junior Yirong Bi in the 1,000-yard freestyle (9:50.95), senior Emily Kopas in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:04.61), junior Catie DeLoof in the 50-yard freestyle (22.90) and junior Becca Postoll in the 500-yard freestyle (4:49.07).
The Wolverines also won both the 200-yard freestyle relay (Haughey, Krause, Claire Maiocco, Bi) and 400-yard medley relay (Garcia, Haughey, Cleason, Kate Krolikowski).
The Wolverines are back in the water tomorrow (Saturday, Sept. 30), hosting Oakland and Calvin College for the Michigan Water Carnival, a celebration of aquatic sports that blends swimming, diving and water polo. The meet begins at 11 a.m. Admission is free. [ Event Details ]
Players Mentioned
