Michigan
Minnesota Invite
Wolverines Nab Three NCAA 'A' Cuts at Minnesota Invite
12/5/2019 10:43:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving
» Maggie MacNeil picked up NCAA 'A' cuts in the 50-yard freestyle (21.60) and in the 100-yard backstroke (50.81), the latter of which achieved on the leadoff leg of the 400-yard medley relay.
» MacNeil, Miranda Tucker, Vanessa Krause and Daria Pyshnenko got an NCAA 'A' cut in the 400-yard medley relay (3:29.92), surpassing the standard by nearly two full seconds.
» Sierra Schmidt won the 500-yard freestyle (4:38.36), while Tucker finaled in both the 200-yard IM (sixth) and 50-yard freestyle (fourth).
• Complete Results (PDF)
Site: Minneapolis, Minn. (Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center)
Event: Minnesota Invite (Day 2 of 5)
U-M Team Standing: 2nd of 7 Teams (278 points) after Day 2
Next U-M Event: Friday, Dec. 6 -- at Minnesota Invite - Day Three (Minneapolis, Minn.), 10 a.m./6 p.m. CST
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- The No. 18-ranked University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team picked up three NCAA 'A' cuts on the second day of the Minnesota Invite on Thursday (Dec. 5) at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center. After two days, the Wolverines are in second place (278 points), trailing California (457).
Sophomore Maggie MacNeil punched her ticket to the NCAA Championships in the 50-yard freestyle (21.60) and in the 100-yard backstroke (50.81), the latter of which came leading off the 400-yard medley relay. That relay also qualified for NCAAs, as MacNeil, senior Miranda Tucker, senior Vanessa Krause and junior Daria Pyshnenko were clocked at 3:29.92, nearly two full seconds under the NCAA 'A' standard.
Showing off their distance prowess, the Wolverines put three swimmers in the top eight of the 500-yard freestyle. It was a tight finish, as the top three swimmers finished within four-tenths of a second, but it was junior Sierra Schmidt who got to the wall first, touching in 4:38.36, the eighth-fastest time in the country this season and less than a half-second off her personal best. Freshman Kaitlynn Sims got under the 4:40 mark, finishing third (4:38.73), the fifth-fastest time in school history. Both swimmers got NCAA 'B' cuts, though both were well under last year's invited time for the NCAA Championships (4:40.96).
The other finalist was senior Chloe Hicks, who finished eighth (4:45.23). She went 4:43.37 in prelims, shaving close to six seconds off her old personal best, a 4:49.03 from the 2018 ACC Championships when she swam at Virginia Tech.
Michigan sprinted its way to a 2-3-4 finish in the 50-yard freestyle behind MacNeil. Pyshnenko shaved a few hundredths off her previous personal best to take third (22.19), improving her odds of making it back to the NCAA Championships after being the last swimmer invited in the event last year (22.23). Tucker was fourth (22.26), taking almost a half-second off her previous personal best and locking her in a tie with Natasha Moodie (2011) for the sixth-best time in program history.
Prior to her career-best swim in the 50-yard freestyle, Tucker had just finished swimming the finals of the 200-yard IM, finishing sixth (1:58.19). Junior Emma Cleason picked up a few points in the consolation final, taking 15th (2:01.46).
Three divers posted NCAA Zone Diving qualifying scores on one-meter on Thursday. Sophomore Allie Klein led the way with a fourth-place finish (281.00), followed by juniors Camryn McPherson (268.55) and Nikki Canale (268.35) in fifth and sixth, respectively.
The Minnesota Invite continues Friday (Dec. 6) with preliminaries at 10 a.m. CST and finals at 6 p.m.
NCAA Qualifying Times/Scores
Preliminaries - p
400-yard Medley Relay
A - Maggie MacNeil, Miranda Tucker, Vanessa Krause, Daria Pyshnenko (3:29.92)
500-yard Freestyle
B - Sierra Schmidt, 4:38.36
B - Kaitlynn Sims, 4:38.73 (No. 5 at U-M)
B - Chloe Hicks, 4:43.37p
200-yard IM
B - Miranda Tucker, 1:57.66p
50-yard Freestyle
A - Maggie MacNeil, 21.60
B - Daria Pyshnenko, 22.19 (No. 5 at U-M)
B - Miranda Tucker, 22.26 (T-No. 6 at U-M)
100-yard Backstroke
A - Maggie MacNeil, 50.81 (leading off 400-yard Medley Relay)
One-Meter Diving
Allie Klein, 281.00
Camryn McPherson, 273.80p
Nikki Canale, 271.70p
Players Mentioned
