The Longhorns and Wolverines take leads going into Saturday after Friday night’s action at the high profile collegiate quad at the Canham Natatorium in Ann Arbor, while the majority of exhibition races featuring post-graduate professionals were won by Hoosier alumni.
Texas leads the Wolverines 112-74 in the women’s competition, and Michigan is topping Texas 107-79 in the men’s battle. Indiana University’s Hoosiers and the University of Louisville’s Cardinals trail Michigan and Texas, but they are in striking distance to keep the team competition a four-team contest.
Seven exhibition events for a number of post-graduates turned professional also took place on Friday night. Indiana alumni took four of the seven events, Michigan two, the Cardinals one and the Longhorns were shutout.
Competition resumes Saturday morning at 10 a.m. EST. The format is the same as Friday night with the pros racing during the scheduled 10-minute, collegiate breaks. Admission is free, and there’s plenty of fun events for spectators, including a meet-and-greet/autograph session with the Michigan athletes.
WOMEN’S MEET
The lady Longhorns lit up the scoreboard right away with a 400-yard medley relay win (3:38.87) to defeat Louisville (3:41.02), who edged out the host Wolverines (3:41.02). Indiana’s sophomore Brooklynn Snodgrass took it out hard for the Hoosiers, but the depth of Texas women’s ‘team prevailed over the Canadian’s fast lead-off leg, which contributed to her team’s 4th place finish (3:42.04).
On both the men’s and women’s side of this meet, the medley relays provided some of the best swims of the event. That included a 51.99 butterfly split from Louisville’s Kelsi Worrell on the Cardinals’ runner-up relay.
Lady Hoosier Haley Lips (1.45.85) was victorious in a 200-yard free battle with freshman teammate Kennedy Goss (1:46.01). The one-two Indiana punch knocked Longhorn Madisyn Cox (1:47.24) into third and Michigan’s Claudia Goswell (1:47.84) into forth. Hoosier’s Cynthia Pammet took fifth ensuring the bulk of the lady’s 200-yard free points went to Indiana.
Snodgrass flew in the women’s 100-yard back (52.48) defeating Michigan’s Clara Smiddy (53.89) by more than a second. Less than a tenth of a second behind Smiddy was Longhorn sophomore Tasija Karosas(53.97), who was followed by teammate Sarah Denninghoff.
Gretchen Jaques put nearly a second between her and Texas teammate Bethany Leap to win the 100-yard breast (1:01.37 vs. 1:02.36). Louisville’s Andee Cottrell (1:02.58) and Michigan’s Emily Kopas(1:02.75) bunched up behind Leap to take third and fourth.
The women’s 50-yard free couldn’t get too much closer between first place finisher Ali Deloof (22.80) of Michigan and Cardinal Kelsi Worrell (22.82). Texas didn’t win the race but the Longhorns scored valuable points with Rebecca Millard taking third (23.36) and Brynne Wong taking 4th (23.43).
Michigan freshman Hannah Moore and Texas junior Kaitlin Pawlowicz broke away in the 1000-yard free to take first (9:43.98) and second (9:44.68) in front of the 200-yard free winner Haley Lips, who finished nearly five seconds behind Pawlowicz.
Freshman Cox bounced back from her third place finish in the 200-yard free by winning the 200-yard individual medley in under two minutes with a 1:58.56, defeating 100-yard back winner, Snodgrass, who also went under two minutes with a 1:59.62.
The 200-yard free relay went Texas (1:32.24), Michigan (1:32.40), and then Indiana (1:32.95) with all finishing within a second to end the women’s swim events.
Hoosier Jessica Parratto won the women’s 3-meter event over Michigan’s Carey Chen. Texas took the next two spots to add to their leading point title for the night.
MEN’S MEET
Urged on by cheers of “Let’s Go Blue!” the Michigan men started the 400-yard medley relay with promise, but after a disqualification the results played out like the ladies’ with Texas taking the win (3:12.87), the Cardinal’s capturing second (3:14.12), the Wolverines placing third (3:15.86) and Indiana taking fourth (3:16.71).
That winning Texas medley included two freshmen a sophomore, and a junior, and is a relay that has a chance to do some real damage this year at NCAA’s, but will be looking at a potential national title run in 2016. Freshman Joseph Schooling split 45.85 on the fly leg, which is unofficially the fastest 100 fly split we’ve seen this year.
Michigan’s A relay actually touched the wall first, but were DQ’ed when anchor Bruno Ortiz left early. Richard Funk split 52.76 on that relay.
Wolverines Justin Glanda and Anders Lie Nielsen did some home cooking in the 200-yard free, taking first (1:36.93) and second (1:36.95) from Cardinal Trevor Carroll (1:37.60) and Hoosier Blake Pieroni(1:37.62).
Kip Darmody won the men’s 100-yard back (48.36) for Texas over Louisville’s Russian rocket, Grigory Tarasevich (48.81). The Wolverines took the next three spots, claiming valuable points by Tristan Sanders(49.00), Aaron Whitaker (49.06) and Pete Brumm (49.13).
Dylan Bosch made it look like a Sunday morning swim in the 200-yard fly (1:43.93), defeating Steve Schmuhl by nearly 2 and a half seconds and shutting the door on the Longhorns’ duo of Joseph Schooling andClark Smith.
Louisville’s Carlyle Blondell is fast, but tonight he wasn’t the fastest in the 50-yard free as was bookended by two Wolverines, 18-year-old freshman Paul Powers (19.79) and Bruno Ortiz (20.20). Powers proved to be the fastest sprinter on the night putting up a time that bested Zach Hayden’s winning time (19.86) in the pro race.
The 1000-yard free went to Longhorn and freshman Jonathan Roberts (9:06.52). Michigan’s Anders Lie Nielsen (9:07.20) and his teammate, 18-year-old Pj Ransford (9:08.52) kept it close right up to the touch. Nearly six seconds back in fourth was Jackson Miller (9:14.21), who had five seconds on the fifth place finisher.
Will Licon has the right stuff, winning the 200-yard individual medley (1:46.04) for Texas over Michigan’s Bosch (1:47.13) and Louisville’s Nolan Tesone (1:47.63).
The Michigan men know how to end the night in their home pool. They win the 200-yard free relay by more than a second in 1:18.98, which is an eternity at this level, considering the sprint capabilities these college powerhouses possess. The Cardinals took second (1:20.14), and the Longhorns third (1:20.31).
Hoosier diver Michael Hixon took the men’s 1-meter event from Longhorn Mark Anderson. The win gave Indiana all the diving titles contested on the night.
POST-Graduate Results
Men’s 100-yard backstroke: Junya Koga (Club Wolverine) — 45.48, James Wells (Bloomington Swim Club) — 46.60, and Pedro Oliveira (Cardinal Aquatics) — 47.62
Men’s 200-yard breaststroke: Cody Miller (Bloomington Swim Club) –1:53.78), Kyle Whitaker (Club Wolverine) –1:56.38.
Men’s 200-yard free: Joao De Lucca (Cardinal Aquatics) — 1:34.09, Michael Klueh (Club Wolverine) — 1:35.07, Connor Jaeger (Club Wolverine) — 1:35.64, Michael Wynalda (Club Wolverine) — 1:36.28, Hassaan Abdel Khalik (Club Wolverine) — 1:37.72, Michael McBroom (The Woodlands Swim Team) — 1:37.96, and Pedro Oliveira (Cardinal Aquatics) — 1:45.11
Men’s 50-yard free: Zach Hayden (Club Wolverine) — 19.86, Junya Koga (Club Wolverine) — 19.94, Kyle Whitaker (Club Wolverine) — 21.68, Cody Miller (Bloomington Swim Club) — 21.84, and James Wells (Bloomington Swim Club) — 21.84
Men’s 200-yard breaststroke: Bronwyan Pasloski (Bloomington Swim Club) — 2:10.62
Women’s 200-yard freestyle: Lindsay Vrooman (Bloomington Swim Club) — 1:47.23 and Emily Brunemann (Club Wolverine) — 1:49.70
Women’s 50-yard freestyle: Bronwyan Pasloski (Bloomington Swim Club) — 28.40
Thanks to Loretta Race, coach of the Northern Kentucky Swordfish Masters and SwimSwam contributor, who exercised her Twitter thumbs (@RettaRace) this evening with constant and insightful updates. It helped us put together this story.
Texas Medley had 2 freshman, A junior and a sophmore, not 2 juniors. It will be even a faster relay when Kip darmody swims the backstroke leg who won the 100 back last night and Brett moves to freestyle or Murray or Ellis. What is crazy is that Conger might go from being the most valuable asset to not even having a spot on this relay. Caleb Dressel had already given Texas a verbal then switched. Can you imagine this team with him on it and if Hixon would have stayed instead of transferring and winning all the diving for Indiana now!
Karosas is a sophomore not a freshman
looks like michigan men will be right up there with texas and cal come march!