Michigan
Big Ten Championships
Auböck's Crown, IMers Guide Wolverine Men on Day Two at Big Tens
2/22/2018 10:05:00 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving
» The Wolverines put 21-of-24 student-athletes in scoring position on Thursday, including 17 in championship or consolation finals. They moved into first place on Thursday (538.5 points), with Indiana trailing by only nine points (529.5).
» Sophomore Felix Auböck defended his conference title and set a Big Ten Championships record in the 500-yard freestyle, while freshman Ricardo Vargas (500-yard freestyle), senior Evan White (200-yard IM) and senior Paul Powers (50-yard freestyle) each took runner-up spots.
» The Wolverines brought back all nine swimmers in the 200-yard IM, scoring 153.5 points as a group.
» Sophomore diver Jake Herremans qualified for the consolation final on one-meter and improved his score by 50 points, setting a new personal record with a 12th-place finish (390.65). It's the program's highest score on that board since at least 2004.
Site: Minneapolis, Minn. (Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center)
Event: Big Ten Championships (Day 2 of 4)
U-M Team Standing: 1st of 10 Teams (538.5 points)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Feb. 23 -- at Big Ten Championships -- Day Three (Minneapolis, Minn.), 11 a.m./6:30 p.m. CST
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Sophomore Felix Auböck defended his title and led a 1-2-3 finish in the 500-yard freestyle, while freshman Ricardo Vargas (500-yard freestyle), senior Evan White (200-yard IM) and Paul Powers (50-yard freestyle) each had individual runner-up finishes to pace the No. 7-ranked University of Michigan men's swimming and diving team during the second day of the Big Ten Championships on Thursday (Feb. 22) at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center. The Wolverines lead after two days of competition (538.5 points), with Indiana only nine points behind (529.5).
Michigan had a fantastic day in the pool, but it started in the morning, as 21-of-24 student-athletes scored, including 17 in the championship or consolation final. The Wolverines ended the day in better position than last year in both the standings (second in 2017) and points (+77 over 2017).
"Seeing that many guys score points, that's a team," said head coach Mike Bottom. "We're not going to score big points, but if we can keep doing what we did today, we'll be happy. Scoring points for Michigan. That's what we're trying to do."
The evening began with Auböck's return to the top of the podium in the 500-yard freestyle, but he wasn't alone, as the Wolverines claimed a 1-2-3 finish. Auböck swam a smooth race and set a new Big Ten Championships record with his win (4:09.29), and he did it with teammates swimming on either side of him. Freshman Ricardo Vargas took second -- his time of 4:11.11 is the fifth-fastest in school history and an NCAA "A" cut -- while senior PJ Ransford was third (4:15.58). Three others were in the consolation final: freshman Will Roberts was 12th (4:21.50), junior Stephen Holmquist was 15th (4:22.05) and junior Mokhtar Al-Yamani was 16th (4:23.57).
WATCH: Felix Auböck, Ricardo Vargas and PJ Ransford go 1-2-3 in the 500 Freestyle to begin the second night of the Big Ten Championships! #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/5YBojg6Rcm
— Michigan Swimming & Diving (@umichswimdive) February 23, 2018
The team's most fruitful event of the evening came in the 200-yard IM, as it brought back all nine swimmers for finals, matching last year's total. White matched Indiana's Vini Lanza stroke-for-stroke the entire way and though he took second, his time of 1:42.05 is a personal record by more than a second and the fourth-fastest in school history. The Wolverines had five of the top-10 swimmers in this event, as four sophomores followed White: Tommy Cope tied for fourth (1:42.94), Jacob Montague was eighth (1:44.52), Charlie Swanson was ninth (1:43.05) and Miles Smachlo was 10th (1:45.39). Other scorers included sophomore Jeremy Babinet (12th, 1:45.88), senior Tristan Sanders (13th, 1:45.90), sophomore Rob Zofchak (17th, 1:45.81) and senior Ryan Sebastian (22nd, 1:47.30). Together, those nine swimmers combined for 153.5 points.
The Wolverines put three swimmers on the podium in the 50-yard freestyle, led by Powers, who got an NCAA "A" time with a second-place finish (19.04). Two others had solid Big Ten Championships debuts: freshman Luiz Gustavo Borges nearly matched his time from preliminaries to finals and improved his odds of qualifying for the NCAA Championships with a fourth-place finish (19.28, third-best in school history), while graduate student James Peek was sixth (19.59).
Three divers contributed points toward the team total on the one-meter springboard, led by sophomore Jake Herremans. He snuck into the consolation final in 16th (339.70) and went on to easily surpass those totals, moving up four spots to take 12th (390.65), the program's highest score on one-meter since at least 2004. Freshman Chris Canning (22nd, 311.55) and Ross Todd (23rd, 303.90) also contributed points toward the team total.
Michigan closed out the night with a third-place finish in the 400-yard medley relay. The foursome of senior Tristan Sanders, Montague, White and Powers went 3:06.95, an NCAA "A" cut.
The Big Ten Championships roll on tomorrow (Friday, Feb. 23) at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center. Preliminaries begin at 11 a.m. CST, with finals following at 6:30 p.m.
TEAM STANDINGS
1. MICHIGAN 538.5 2. Indiana 529.5 3. Ohio State 407 4. Purdue 280 5. Minnesota 278.5 6. Wisconsin 229 7. Iowa 214 8. Penn State 195.5 9. Michigan State 124 10. Northwestern 116
500-yard Freestyle
1. Felix Auböck, U-M 4:09.29*! 2. Ricardo Vargas, U-M 4:11.11* 3. PJ Ransford, U-M 4:15.58# (4:15.41#) 12. Will Roberts, U-M 4:21.50# 15. Stephen Holmquist, U-M 4:22.05# (4:21.81#) 16. Mokhtar Al-Yamani, U-M 4:23.57# (4:21.79#) 26. Kai Williams, U-M 4:24.41#
200-yard IM
1. Vini Lanza, IU 1:41.34* 2. Evan White, U-M 1:42.05# T4. Tommy Cope, U-M 1:42.94# 8. Jacob Montague, U-M 1:44.52# 9. Charlie Swanson, U-M 1:43.05# 10. Miles Smachlo, U-M 1:45.39# 12. Jeremy Babinet, U-M 1:45.88# (1:45.65#) 13. Tristan Sanders, U-M 1:45.90# 17. Rob Zofchak, U-M 1:45.81# 22. Ryan Sebastian, U-M 1:47.30# (1:47.03#)
50-yard Freestyle
1. Bowen Becker, MINN 18.93* (18.69B!) 2. Paul Powers, U-M 19.04* 4. Luiz Gustavo Borges, U-M 19.28# (19.26#) 6. James Peek, U-M 19.59# (19.42#) T25. James Jones, U-M 20.03#
One-Meter Diving
1. Michael Hixon, IU 493.60^ 12. Jake Herremans, U-M 390.65^ 22. Chris Canning, U-M 311.55^ 23. Ross Todd, U-M 303.90^ 31. Steven Anderson, U-M 267.65
400-yard Medley Relay
1. Indiana 3:01.30* (Gabriel Fantoni, Ian Finnerty Vini Lanza, Blake Pieroni) 3. MICHIGAN 3:06.95* (Tristan Sanders, Jacob Montague Evan White, Paul Powers)
* NCAA A # NCAA B ^ NCAA Zone Diving cut & Pool Record M School Record B Big Ten Record ! Big Ten Championships Record S Swim-Off T Time Trial
CAREER BESTS
500 Freestyle -- Ricardo Vargas (4:11.11 -- 5th at U-M)
500 Freestyle -- Will Roberts (4:21.50)
500 Freestyle -- Stephen Holmquist (4:21.81)
500 Freestyle -- Kai Williams (4:24.41)
200 IM -- Evan White (1:42.05 -- 4th at U-M)
200 IM -- Tommy Cope (1:42.95 -- 6th at U-M)
200 IM -- Charlie Swanson (1:43.05 -- 7th at U-M)
200 IM -- Jeremy Babinet (1:45.65)
200 IM -- Rob Zofchak (1:45.81)
200 IM -- Ryan Sebastian (1:47.03)
50 Freestyle -- Luiz Gustavo Borges (19.26 -- 3rd at U-M)
1M -- Jake Herremans (390.65)
Players Mentioned
