Michigan
Big Ten Championships
Groumi Sets Multiple 200-Yard IM Records, U-M Second after Day Two of B1G Championships
2/29/2024 10:19:00 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving
Site: Columbus, Ohio (McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion)
Event: Big Ten Championships (Day 2 of 4)
U-M Result: 2nd of 8 Teams (437.5 points)
Next U-M Event: Friday, March 1 -- Big Ten Championships - Day 3 (Columbu, Ohio), Prelims: 10 a.m./ Finals: 5 p.m.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The No. 18-ranked University of Michigan men's swimming and diving team broke multiple school records, won an individual Big Ten title and took home multiple medals on an eventful second night of the Big Ten Championships on Thursday (Feb. 29) at McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion.
Through two days, Michigan has racked up 437.5 points to check in at second behind Indiana (466).
U-M put its best foot forward during the first morning session of the championships, placing 15 swimmers and one diver into a final heat. The Wolverines dominated the 200-yard individual medley preliminaries with four swimmers reaching the 'A' final. Gal Groumi and Eitan Ben-Shitrit finished first and second while freshman Colin Geer finished with the fifth-best time. Jacque Wenger rounded out the top finalists with an eighth-place result.
Cameron Gammage kicked off the evening with the consolation final of the one-meter dive. He tallied a score of 361.55 to finish 10th overall. Logan Zucker represented the Maize and Blue in the 'A' final of the 500-yard freestyle, clocking a 4:20.11 to finish eighth overall.
The record breaking started in the 200-yard IM as Groumi won the conference crown for the third year in a row with a mark of 1:40.48. Groumi's time set a new benchmark in Michigan program and Big Ten Championship history. No man in the history of Michigan swimming had posted a sub-1:41 time before Groumi did on Thursday. Beyond Groumi, U-M dominated the top-five as Ben-Shitrit, Geer and Wenger finished second, fourth and fifth, respectively. Ben-Shitrit's career-best time of 1:42.26 is the sixth-best time in the history of the program.
Bence Szabados and Tyler Ray wrapped up the individual portion of the events in the 50-yard freestyle. Szabados took silver with a time of 19.00 seconds, a new personal best, and Ray secured seventh by clocking a 19.48 to set a new personal benchmark.
The second night of the championships ended with the 400-yard medley relay, and some unexpected drama. The team of Brendan Fitzpatrick, Groumi, Szabados and Jack Wilkening raced through the pool to take the silver medal and set a new school record with a time of 3:01.13.
Initially, the Wolverines were disqualified for a stroke violation. However, after an appeal, the judges overturned the DQ and reinstated the time -- along with Michigan's 56 points.
The Big Ten Championships continue Friday (March 1) with the 100-yard backstroke, 100-yard breaststroke, 100-yard butterfly, 200-yard freestyle, 400-yard IM, 200-yard freestyle relay and three-meter dive. Preliminaries will start at 10 a.m., and finals will get underway at 5 p.m.
Team Standings Through Day Two
1. No. 5 Indiana 466 points 2. No. 18 Michigan 437.5 3. No. 13 Ohio State 428 4. No. 21 Wisconsin 388.5 5. Minnesota 271.5 6. Purdue 254.5 7. Penn State 229 8. Northwestern 215
Players Mentioned
