2023 Men’s Big Ten Swimming and Diving Championships: Day Two Prelims Live Recap

2023 MEN’S BIG TEN SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS 

• Wednesday, February 22 – Saturday, February 25, 2023
• Canham Natatorium, Ann Arbor, MI
• Defending Champions:
  • Men: Indiana (1x)
• Live Results
• Live Video
• Championship Central
• Fan Guide

THURSDAY PRELIMS HEAT SHEET

We enter the first full day of the 2023 Men’s Big Ten Swimming and Diving Championships with Indiana and Ohio State in a tie for first. Michigan is right behind the leaders, having come in second in both relays last night.

SCORES THROUGH DAY 1

1. Ohio State / Indiana – 118
2. (tie)
3. Michigan – 112
4. Purdue/Minnesota/Wisconsin – 100
5. (tie)
6. (tie)
7. Northwestern – 92
8. Penn State – 88

After an ice storm in the area last night, many areas of Ann Arbor are without power this morning, but things are alive and well at Canham Natatorium.

This morning’s action will feature prelims of the 500 free, 200 IM, and 50 free. Prelims of 1-meter diving will take place after the conclusion of swimming this morning. Tonight, there will also be timed finals of the 400 medley relay in addition to the other events.

Wisconsin’s Jake Newmark is looking to defend his Big Ten title in the men’s 500 free. Newmark won the event last year in an awesome race with former Wolverine Jake Mitchell. Mitchell is no longer at Michigan, however, so the next-fastest returner from last year is Ohio State’s Charlie Clark, who came in third last year. The top seed in the 500 this morning is Minnesota sophomore Bar Soloveychik, who comes in with a 4:15.66.

Michigan sophomore Gal Groumi will also be fighting to defend his Big Ten title in the 200 IM. As a freshman last year, Groumi won the 200 IM by nearly a full second. Notably, the runner-up last year was Ohio State’s Alex Quach, who was also a freshman. Groumi comes in as the second seed, as Purdue fifth-year Nick Sherman leads the psych sheets with a 1:42.90, which would have been good for third last year.

The 50 free is the only event this morning in which no one will be defending a title. Ohio State’s Hunter Armstrong won the event last year, but has since turned pro. Michigan’s Bence Szabados, the sixth-place finisher from last year, comes in as the top seed with a 19.36.

500 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

• Meet Record: 4:09.29, Felix Auboeck (2018)
• Pool Record: 4:12.52, Conner Jaeger (2014)
• 2022 Champion: Jake Newmark (Wisconsin) – 4:12.43
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 4:11.40
• 2022 NCAA Invite: 4:14.96

TOP EIGHT QUALIFIERS:

1. Bar Soloveychik (Minnesota) – 4:16.46
2. Jake Newmark (Wisconsin) – 4:16.59
3. Charlie Clark (Ohio State) – 4:17.11
4. Eduardo Moraes (Michigan) – 4:17.38
5. Mikey Calvillo (Indiana) – 4:18.99
6. Warren Briggs (Indiana) – 4:19.27
7. Mason Edmund (Ohio State) – 4:19.35
8. Sam Campbell (Ohio State) – 4:19.79

It was a great morning in the 500 free prelims, seeing six of the eight ‘A’ finals qualifiers post season best times. Interestingly, one of the swimmers who didn’t swim a season best to make it in was Minnesota’s Bar Soloveychik, who was both the top seed coming into the event and came away with the top time this morning, swimming a 4:16.46. Soloveychik has been 4:15.66 already this morning. An interesting observation on Soloveychik: he was double breathing in his race, which isn’t something we see that often, aside from going into a turn, where it’s far more common. If you’re not sure what “double breathing” is, it’s how we refer to when a swimmer takes a breath on one side then immediately breathes on the other side on the following stroke on freestyle.

Defending champion Jake Newmark clocked the second-fastest time of the morning, coming in at 4:16.59. That time is a season best for Newmark, putting him right in the middle of the pool for tonight’s final. Newmark was in a tight race with Ohio State’s Charlie Clark, but he used superior underwaters to give him the advantage this morning.

It was a great way to kick off the morning for the Buckeyes, seeing them put three men into the ‘A’ final tonight.

200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY – PRELIMS

• Meet Record: 1:41.05, Vini Lanza (2019)
• Pool Record: 1:41.14, Kyle Whitaker (2014)
• 2022 Champion: Gal Groumi (Michigan) – 1:41.54
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:41.22
• 2022 NCAA Invite: 1:43.36

TOP EIGHT QUALIFIERS:

1. Luke Barr (Indiana) – 1:43.14
2. Nick Sherman (Purdue) – 1:43.24
3. Gal Groumi (Michigan) – 1:44.08
4. Eitan Ben-Shitrit (Michigan) – 1:44.14
5. Jared Daigle (Michigan) – 1:44.17
6. Kaiser Neverman (Minnesota) – 1:44.67
7. Alex Quach (Ohio State) – 1:44.80
8. Ansel Froass (Michigan) – 1:44.91

Indiana grabbed the top seed for tonight’s ‘A’ final thanks to Luke Barr swimming a lifetime best of 1:43.14. His previous best in the event was a 1:43.80, which he swam at last year’s Big Tens when he was a freshman. It was huge for Indiana to take the top seed for tonight, as the 200 IM was not a great event for the Hoosiers this morning. In fact, Barr is Indiana’s only finals qualifier for the ‘A’, ‘B’, or ‘C’ final.

Top-seeded Purdue Boilermaker Nick Sherman delivered this morning, swimming a 1:43.24 to clock the second-fastest time of the morning, giving him a middle lane for tonight. Sherman was just off his season best and conference leading time of 1:42.90.

Defending champion Gal Groumi, a Michigan sophomore, made it back as well, swimming a 1:44.08 for third. This was a monster event for the Wolverines, seeing the host school put a whopping four swimmers into tonight’s ‘A’ final. Freshman Eitan Ben-Shitrit, fifth-year Jared Daigle, and junior Ansel Froass also made it in for Michigan.

50 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

• Meet Record: 18.69, Bowe Becker (2019)
• Pool Record: 19.05, Derek Toomey (2014)
• 2022 Champion: Hunter Armstrong (Ohio State) – 18.93
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 18.88
• 2022 NCAA Invite: 19.28

TOP EIGHT QUALIFIERS:

1. Van Mathias (Indiana) – 19.16
2. Bence Szabados (Michigan) – 19.19
3. Ruslan Gaziev (Ohio State) – 19.24 (Tie)
4. Cam Peel (Michigan) – 19.24 (Tie)
5. Victor Baganha (Penn State) – 19.39
6. Gavin Wight (Indiana) – 19.54
7. James Ward (Ohio State) – 19.56
8. Ben Wiegand (Wisconsin) – 19.57

IU’s Van Mathias blew away his personal best time in the 50 free en route to claiming the top seed for finals this morning. Mathias, who at previous Big Tens has swum the 200 IM, clocked a field-leading 19.16 this morning, which took 0.22 seconds off his previous best of 19.38, which he had swum at the Ohio State Invite back in November.

Michigan’s Bence Szabados also posted a lifetime best this morning, finishing second overall with a 19.19. Szabados’ previous best was a 19.25, which he swam last March at NCAAs.

Ohio State’s Ruslan Gaziev and Michigan’s Cam Peel tied for third at 19.24 this morning.

It was sort of a dead heat with the three top teams in the standings, seeing Indiana, Ohio State, and Michigan all put two swimmers apiece into the ‘A’ final.