Haughey, DeLoof Lead Michigan Resurgence at NCAAs

Gabby DeLoof Siobhan Haughey
Michigan's Gabby DeLoof and Siobhan Haughey. Photo Courtesy: Dan D'Addona

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By Dan D’Addona.

When the No. 1 lit up on the scoreboard next to both Mallory Comerford and Katie Ledecky after the 200-yard freestyle, there was a collective gasp from the NCAA championship crowd in Indianapolis.

The swimmers, were shocked, too. It isn’t very often that a national championship is shared.

But despite the Stanford freshman and Louisville sophomore both touching the wall in 1:40.36, there was plenty of other drama that was completely overshadowed in that race, including a powerful performance from Michigan.

Stanford’s Simone Manuel (1:40.70) and Michigan’s Siobhan Haughey (1:41.21) also went under the pool record set by Allison Schmitt (1:41.85) when she won the national championship four years ago, just ahead of Virginia’s Leah Smith (1:42.66), another Olympian.

“A week before NCAAs, I told my coach that I feel a 1:41 in me,” Haughey said. “But before my race, I felt I would be happy if I just went a best time (1:42), but then I was like, ‘No. I was trained to do a 1:41. I know I can do it.’ I was really happy when I looked at the scoreboard and saw it.

“It means a lot to me. Just the amount of Olympic medals in that final was insane. To be able to race along those people shows all the hard work the past few months has paid off.”

Manuel, an Olympic gold medalist, was expected to be in the hunt for this race, but Haughey, a 2016 Olympian for Hong Kong and the Big Ten record-holder in the 200 free, has continued to perform at an elite level, even if under the radar.

Her fourth-place finish teamed with Gabby DeLoof’s sixth-place finish of 1:43.11 to score big points for the Wolverines.

“I can’t even describe what it felt like. It was such an elite field. But (coach) kept telling me all year that I was one of the best 200 freestylers in the nation, and obviously, I just proved it. It was phenomenal. Just being there swimming with all of them was really fun.”

Michigan, the Big Ten’s back-to-back champions, finished 10th at last year’s NCAA meet and lost leading scorer Ali DeLoof, Gabby’s sister, a Team USA member who graduated.

But Haughey has become that elite leader that the Wolverines needed. Michigan swimmers were yelling at the top of their lungs for Haughey and Gabby DeLoof, who were in the first two lanes, right in front of the team area.

“Every time I breathed to the right, I saw the whole team right there. That really helped me and gave me all the power to swim fast,” Haughey said. “I was just really happy with that swim, especially swimming next to Gabby. We were talking before that race about how it was just like training because we do this every day in Michigan. That just made me really comfortable and I was just really happy.”

That comfort was a welcome feeling for DeLoof, too.

“Obviously swimming next to Siobhan it made it more comfortable,” DeLoof said. “I went from not scoring last year, being 22nd, to being an All-American in sixth place. That was amazing. I was so happy. I think what clicked was the training — and Siobhan and I train together every day. It was really the environment of being here next to her that really helped me.

“It was a really great moment. Everything just came together at that moment for both of us.”

Haughey and DeLoof were part of the 800 freestyle relay on Wednesday night that finished third, Michigan’s first All-American relay in a decade.

“Everyone trained really hard and we believed in each other and in our program,” Haughey said. “Everyone has the ability to go fast and make it to ‘A’ finals and have a good time. I think this team is going in a very good direction.”

Haughey also finished 11th in the 200 IM (1:55.09) on Thursday after sneaking into the consolation finals at 16th. That just started the motivation that has shaped her meet.

“Coming 16th wasn’t really what I was expecting, but I was pretty happy with my swim (in consolation finals),” Haughey said. “I felt really good in warm-up and knew I was going to go fast.”

This performance at NCAAs is a stepping-stone for the Wolverines, who look to make performances like this a yearly tradition.

“Every year, we just want to get better and get more people to NCAAs and more second swims,” Haughey said. “We have had a very good season — and we’ll see what happens next year.”

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