Michigan
Indiana
Michigan Puts Up Fight in Loss To No. 3-Ranked Hoosiers
1/17/2019 6:12:00 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving
» Tommy Cope beat the defending NCAA champion in the 200-yard breaststroke and won the 200-yard IM by .01 seconds.
» Miles Smachlo took both the 100- and 200-yard butterfly events.
» Ricardo Vargas swept the distance events, winning the 500-yard freestyle and 1,000-yard freestyle.
Site: Bloomington, Ind. (Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center)
Score: #3 Indiana 173.5, #4 Michigan 126.5
Records: U-M (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten), Indiana (7-0, 1-0 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Jan. 19 -- vs. #14 Ohio State (Canham Natatorium), 2 p.m.
• Complete Results (PDF)
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The No. 4-ranked University of Michigan men's swimming and diving team put up a valiant fight but ultimately fell short of upsetting the defending Big Ten champions, falling to No. 3 Indiana, 173.5-126.5, on Thursday afternoon (Jan. 17) inside the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center.
"The thing that stood out to me was that every single person on our team was fighting to get their hand on the wall. We saw that with regularity today," said head coach Mike Bottom. "There was a lot of belief going around that we could compete with some of the best swimmers not only in the country, but in the world. Everyone was doing their part as best they could to score points for Michigan."
Juniors Tommy Cope and Miles Smachlo provided some of the day's most impressive swims. Cope scored an upset win over defending NCAA champion Ian Finnerty in the 200-yard breaststroke (1:56.00) and later defeated Finnerty by the slimmest of margins -- .01 seconds -- to take the 200-yard IM (1:46.55). Cope, along with classmates Jacob Montague and Charlie Swanson, had top-five finishes in both breaststroke events and the 200-yard IM, as the trio contributed a boatload of points toward the team total.
Smachlo, meanwhile, continued his hot streak by toppling Vini Lanza, the two-time defending Big Ten champion, in the 200-yard butterfly (1:46.01). He later outlasted both Lanza and Gabriel Fantoni to take the 100-yard butterfly by less than a tenth-of-a-second, completing the sweep (47.08).
"We had some great swims in events we probably weren't expected to win," said associate head coach Dr. Josh White. "We have some guys battling through minor illness and injuries like all teams do at this point in the season, but it was great to see our guys fight all the way through, swim with confidence and not back down from anyone."
Sophomore Ricardo Vargas looked sharp in the distance events, combining with fellow Olympian Felix Auböck on a 1-2 finish in the 500-yard freestyle in 4:23.68 and 4:24.46, respectively. Vargas also won the 1,000-yard freestyle (8:57.08), beating Indiana's Michael Brinegar by two seconds in a race that came down to the wire.
Sophomore Luiz Gustavo Borges had an impressive swim in the 50-yard freestyle, cracking the 20-second barrier (19.99) and getting to the wall ahead of IU's Zach Apple (20.05). Borges also was the team's highest finisher in the 100-yard freestyle (third, 44.50). Senior Mokhtar Al-Yamani led the way in the 200-yard freestyle, taking third (1:37.54), with freshman Patrick Callan right behind in fourth (1:37.56).
Senior Kai Williams was the team's best finisher in the backstroke events, tying for third in the 100-yard backstroke (49.09) and taking fourth in the 200-yard backstroke (1:47.56).
Going against a pair of All-Americans on the diving well, sophomore Ross Todd held his own, taking third on both one-meter (318.98) and three-meter (365.33).
The Wolverines also took second in both the 200-yard medley relay (1:27.15) and 400-yard freestyle relay (2:57.58).
The Wolverines close out their home schedule on Saturday (Jan. 19), returning to Canham Natatorium to face rival No. 4-ranked Ohio State. The meet will begin at 2 p.m. Prior to the meet, the program will honor its senior class with an on-deck ceremony at 1:45 p.m.
Players Mentioned
