Wisconsin Badger freestylers swept the Big Ten’s Swimmer of the Week awards this week after their big conference dual meet with border rival Minnesota.
Ivy Martin won her 6th Female Swimmer of the Week award after winning twice against the Gophers. On the road, Martin won the 50 and 100 frees, as she’s done so many times in her career. Her 50 free was the second-best time in the nation this season, trailing only her own 50 free time from the Arizona State dual earlier in the month.
Meanwhile Matthew Hutchins was a huge factor as the Badger men snapped a 12-year losing streak against the Golden Gophers. Hutchins also won two events, pacing the 500 free and 1000 frees as Wisconsin rode huge freestyle points to the conference win. Hutchins’ 1000 free time of 9:07.66 was a lifetime-best and sits second in the nation this year. That was enough to earn him his first career Big Ten weekly award.
Purdue freshman Steele Johnson won both the Freshman of the Week and Diver of the Week honors on the men’s side. The Boilermaker got a pair of wins during a busy weekend, topping 3-meter against Miami of Ohio on Friday night and then winning the same event the following day at the Indiana Intercollegiates.
Purdue also took women’s Diver of the Week, with junior Mary Beth Dunnichay earning her first award. Dunnichay swept all four diving events over the weekend, doubling up on 1-meter and 3-meter against Miami of Ohio as well as at the Indiana Intercollegiates.
The female freshman of the week also came out of that intense Minnesota-Wisconsin dual, and this one went to the Golden Gophers. Brooke Zeiger was honored with her first Freshman of the Week award. She’s been an immediate-impact contributor for the Gophers, and won three times against Wisconsin, combining the 100 back, 200 back and 200 IM to help the defending conference champs dispatch the Badgers at home.