Michigan
Big Ten Championships - Day 4
Chan's School-Record Swim Highlights Michigan on Day Four of Big Tens
3/5/2021 8:31:00 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving
» With one day to go at the Big Ten Championships, Michigan is in second place (1,010 points). Indiana jumped into the lead (1,036.5 points), while Ohio State is in third (1,000 points).
» Will Chan set a school record in the 100-yard breaststroke, winning the silver medal in 50.95. He became the first man in program history to break 51 seconds in the event.
» The backstroke group put three men into the final: Wyatt Davis (fourth), Eric Storms (fifth) and Nadav Aaronson (eighth). Storms and Aaronson moved to No. 4 (tie) and No. 7, respectively, on the school's all-time performers list.
Site: Columbus, Ohio (McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion)
Event: Big Ten Championships (Day 4 of 5)
U-M Team Standing: 2nd place of 10 Teams (1,010 points)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, March 6 -- at Big Ten Championships - Day Five (Columbus, Ohio), 11 a.m./6:30 p.m.
• Complete Results (PDF)
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Junior Will Chan set a school record and became the first man in program history to break 51 seconds in the 100-yard breaststroke to lead the University of Michigan men's swimming and diving team at the Big Ten Championships on Friday (March 5) inside the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion.
Only 19 points separated the three teams at the top when the day began. With only three individual events on the schedule, the Wolverines made sure to maximize their opportunities, placing 11 of 12 swimmers into finals. At the end of the evening session, Michigan sat in second place (1,010 points), but still within striking distance of first-place Indiana (1,036.5 points). Ohio State was third (1,000 points).
"We're in it. We're battling," said head coach Mike Bottom. "We had a great morning, much better than we expected, and that led to some solid performances at night. It's all going to come down to tomorrow morning."
The surge began in the 100-yard backstroke, as three swimmers made finals. The performance marked a big jump for the backstroke group, as the team's highest finisher last year was a 15th-place finish by junior Eric Storms. Freshman Wyatt Davis swam to a fourth-place finish (46.08) to lead the way, but it was the performances from Storms and sophomore Nadav Aaronson that raised eyebrows. Storms finished fifth and Aaronson finished eighth, though both men were faster in preliminaries, each moving up on the school's all-time top performers list -- Storms in a tie for fourth (46.37) and Aaronson in seventh (46.52). Redshirt senior Alex King held a lane in the consolation final, finishing 16th (47.78).
All four swimmers entered in the 100-yard breaststroke made it back, led by Chan, who continued his strong meet by setting some history in the finals. He won the silver medal in 50.95, setting a school record by becoming the first Michigan Wolverine to break 51 seconds.
"At the beginning of the year, we had a goal meeting during practice," said Chan. "The only thing I wrote down -- 'Surprise others but not yourself.' That's where this meet has been for me."
The preliminaries heats were so fast that junior Mason Hunter, who cracked 52 seconds (51.93), was relegated to the consolation final, where he took 11th (52.77). But it was the heroics of junior AJ Bornstein that fired up the team in the morning. He was tied for 16th with Indiana's Gary Kostbade after preliminaries, meaning a swim-off was required to determine the last spot in the consolation final. In a tight team race where every point matters, Bornstein overcame a one-tenth-of-a-second deficit over the final 25 yards to get his hand on the wall by .01 seconds over Kostbade, his time of 53.21 making him the 10th-fastest performer in school history. Swimming the event for the third time at night, Bornstein finished 16th overall (53.95). Sophomore Jack McCurdy got in on the scoring, too, finishing 24th (54.29).
Three more Wolverines made the top 16 of the 200-yard butterfly, led by senior/junior Spencer Carl, who finished sixth (1:44.89). A pair of freshmen put forth impressive performances in the consolation final, as Bence Szabados was 12th (1:46.32) and Charlie Morici was 15th (1:46.94).
Michigan ended the night with a fourth-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:16.60). Sophomore Cam Peel led off in 19.30, a new personal best for a 50-yard freestyle that brings him into a tie for fourth on the school's all-time list. Senior Luiz Gustavo Borges anchored in 18.56, the fastest split in the field.
The Big Ten Championships will conclude Saturday (March 6) in Columbus, Ohio. Preliminaries begin at 11 a.m. with finals following at 6:30 p.m.
Career Bests
100 Backstroke -- Eric Storms, 46.37 (T-No. 4 at U-M)
100 Backstroke -- Nadav Aaronson, 46.52 (No. 7 at U-M)
100 Breaststroke -- Will Chan, 50.95 (No. 1 at U-M)
100 Breaststroke -- AJ Bornstein, 53.21 (No. 10 at U-M)
100 Breaststroke -- Jack McCurdy, 54.25
200 Butterfly -- Bence Szabados, 1:46.22
200 Butterfly -- Charlie Morici, 1:46.92
50-yard Freestyle -- Cam Peel, 19.30 (T-No. 4 at U-M)
Players Mentioned
