Michigan
UGA Fall Invitational
Men's Swimming and Diving Takes Second at UGA Fall Invitational
12/1/2018 6:19:00 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving
» Ricardo Vargas swam to the nation's fastest time in the 1,650-yard freestyle, posting the seventh-fastest time in school history.
» Ross Todd completed the diving sweep over the three days, winning platform on Saturday.
» Miles Smachlo posted the nation's third-fastest time in the 100-yard butterfly during preliminaries.
Site: Athens, Ga. (Gabrielsen Natatorium)
Event: UGA Fall Invitational (Day 3 of 3)
U-M Team Standing: 2nd of 5 Teams (1,027.5 points)
Next U-M Event: Thursday, Jan. 3 -- at Orange Bowl Classic (Key Largo, Fla.), TBA
• Complete Results (PDF)
ATHENS, Ga. -- Sophomore Ricardo Vargas catapulted to the nation's No. 1 time in the 1,650-yard freestyle and sophomore Ross Todd completed his diving sweep by winning platform to lead the No. 4-ranked University of Michigan men's swimming and diving team to a second-place finish at the UGA Fall Invitational on Saturday (Dec. 1) at Gabrielsen Natatorium. Over the three days, U-M compiled 45 NCAA standards (two 'A,' 34 'B,' nine Zone Diving).
Vargas capped an impressive weekend with a dominant 11-second win in the 1,650-yard freestyle (14:35.04). That's the fastest time in the NCAA this season, an NCAA 'A' cut, a personal best and the seventh-fastest time in school history. Also scoring big points with top-eight finishes were junior Felix Auböck (fifth, 14:56.67) and sophomore Will Roberts (15:02.67).
Todd capped a strong week in the diving well with his third win in as many days, taking top honors in a seven-man platform final (346.30). Sophomore Chris Canning was third (298.40) and junior Jake Herremans was fifth (274.40).
Senior Kai Williams claimed a lane in the 200-yard backstroke final and shed time, finishing sixth (1:42.63). He moves to No. 10 on the school's all-time list for that event.
Sophomore Luiz Gustavo Borges ended a fantastic week with a fourth-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle, cutting almost a second of time from preliminaries (42.53). That's the fourth-fastest time in school history, trailing only his father, Gustavo Borges, who still sits at third (42.46 from 1994). Junior James Jones moved up to the final due to scratches ahead of him, and took fifth (43.40).
Three juniors made the final in the 200-yard breaststroke, all finishing within two-tenths of a second of each other. Charlie Swanson was third (1:53.68), Tommy Cope was fourth (1:53.70) and Jacob Montague was fifth (1:53.86). Another junior, Jeremy Babinet, held his top seed in the consolation final, finishing ninth overall (1:56.05).
Junior Miles Smachlo finished seventh in the 200-yard butterfly (1:44.06), but it was his preliminaries time that was eye-popping. He went 1:41.84, the third-fastest time in the country this season and brings him into a tie for third on the school's all-time list (with Olympic gold medalist Davis Tarwater). Senior Mokhtar Al-Yamani also picked up an NCAA 'B' cut, finishing 10th overall (1:46.50).
The Wolverines closed the meet with a second-place finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay, as the foursome of Borges, freshman Will Chan, Swanson and Smachlo touched at 2:52.70.
The Wolverines will return to the pool in 2019, when they compete at the annual Orange Bowl Classic in Key Largo, Florida, as part of the team's training trip. The start time for the event is to be announced.
NCAA Qualifying Times/Scores
Preliminaries - p
Relay Leadoff - r
1,650-yard Freestyle
A -- Ricardo Vargas, 14:35.04 (No. 7 at U-M)
B -- Felix Auböck, 14:56.67
B -- Will Roberts, 15:02.67
200-yard Backstroke
B -- Kai Williams, 1:42.63 (No. 10 at U-M)
100-yard Freestyle
B -- Luiz Gustavo Borges, 42.53 (No. 4 at U-M)
B -- James Jones, 43.40
200-yard Breaststroke
B -- Charlie Swanson, 1:53.68
B -- Tommy Cope, 1:53.70
B -- Jacob Montague, 1:53.86
B -- Jeremy Babinet, 1:56.05
B -- AJ Bornstein, 1:58.07
200-yard Butterfly
B -- Miles Smachlo, 1:41.84 (T-No. 3 at U-M)
B -- Mokhtar Al-Yamani, 1:46.50
Platform Diving
346.30 -- Ross Todd
400-yard Freestyle Relay
B -- Luiz Gustavo Borges, Will Chan, Charlie Swanson, Miles Smachlo (2:52.70)
Players Mentioned
