Michigan
Big Ten Championships
U-M Claims Two Big Ten Titles, Finishes Third at Big Ten Championships
2/24/2024 11:35:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Site: West Lafayette, Ind. (Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center)
Event: Big Ten Championships (Day 4 of 4)
U-M Result: 3rd Place of 12 Teams (1,207 points)
Next U-M Event: Sat-Sun, March 2-3 -- at Last Chance Meet, Location/Time TBD
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The No. 16-ranked University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team captured two Big Ten titles and finished third on the final day of the Big Ten Women's Swimming and Diving Championships on Saturday (Feb. 24) at Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center.
Michigan racked up 1,207 points, finishing behind Big Ten champion Indiana (1,359 points) Ohio State (1,358.5 points).
Katie Crom successfully defended her conference crown in the 200-yard butterfly, while the 400-yard freestyle relay team ended the final session with a league title, beating out the Indiana and Ohio State.
Nine Wolverines landed on an All-Big Ten team, highlighted by Stephanie Balduccini who earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors. The announcement marks the second consecutive season a Wolverine has earned the accolade after Crom garnered that recognition in 2023.
The morning session proved to be fruitful for the Maize and Blue as 16 swimmers and divers posted marks that qualified them for a final.
Diving kicked off the evening session with the platform finals. Evie Johnson (223.60) and Kiarra Milligan (196.55) finished 12th and 16th, respectively.
In the 200-yard backstroke, Casey Chung logged a time of 1:55.88 to finish seventh overall.
The Wolverines landed two swimmers in the championship final for the 100-yard freestyle, and Balduccini and Lindsay Flynn finished fourth and sixth, respectively, with marks of 47.77 and 47.98. Devon Kitchel and Claire Donan represented U-M in the 200-yard breaststroke final and took sixth and seventh place, clocking a 2:11.25 and a 2:12.38, respectively.
Michigan dominated the 200 fly final with Crom outlasting Minnesota's Megan Van Berkom with a time of 1:54.61 to win the Big Ten title in the event for the second straight season. Freshman Hannah Bellard earned a bronze medal with a strong time of 1:55.72. Anna Boemer secured eighth overall, logging a time of 1:59.65.
U-M ended the conference championships on a high note as the top-seeded 400-yard freestyle relay team of Balduccini, Flynn, Brady Kendall and Claire Newman fended off valiant efforts by Indiana and Ohio State to finish at the top of the podium with a time of 3:11.21.
Select Michigan swimmers will return to the pool next Saturday and Sunday (March 2-3) when they take part in the Last Chance Meet. The locationa and start times are to be determined.
Final Team Standings
1. No. 6 Indiana 1,359 2. No. 8 Ohio State 1,358.5 3. NO. 16 MICHIGAN 1,207 4. No. 14 Wisconsin 978 5. Minnesota 816 6. Purdue 572.5 7. Northwestern 463.5 8. Nebraska 409 9. Penn State 382 10. Rutgers 363.5 11. Iowa 303 12. Illinois 204
Big Ten Postseason Awards
Swimmer of the Championship: Phoebe Bacon, Wisconsin
Diver of the Championship: Skyler Liu, Indiana
Swimming and Diving Freshman of the Year: Stephanie Balduccini, Michigan
All-Big Ten First Team
Brearna Crawford, Indiana
Ching Hwee Gan, Indiana
Skyler Liu, Indiana
Kacey McKenna, Indiana
Kristina Paegle, Indiana
Anna Peplowski, Indiana
Ella Ristic, Indiana
Chiok Sze Yeo, Indiana
Ashley Turak, Indiana
Stephanie Balduccini, Michigan
Katie Crom, Michigan
Lindsay Flynn, Michigan
Brady Kendall, Michigan
Claire Newman, Michigan
Megan Van Berkom, Minnesota
Hannah Bach, Ohio State
Amy Fulmer. Ohio State
Nyah Funderburke, Ohio State
Lena Hentschel, Ohio State
Teresa Ivan, Ohio State
Morgan Kraus, Ohio State
Katherine Zenick, Ohio State
Phoebe Bacon, Wisconsin
All-Big Ten Second Team
Ella Roselli, Indiana
Anne Fowler, Indiana
Hannah Bellard, Michigan
Casey Chung, Michigan
Natalie Kan, Michigan
Christey Liang, Michigan
Viviana Del Angel, Minnesota
Alya Spitz, Northwestern
Josephine Panitz, Ohio State
Abby Carlson, Wisconsin
Callahan Dunn, Wisconsin
Mackenzie McConagha, Wisconsin
Hazal Ozkan, Wisconsin
Hailey Tierney, Wisconsin
Madeline Waggoner, Wisconsin
Players Mentioned
