Indiana Hoosiers Stage Monster Comeback in Final Prelims at Big Tens

Snodgrass,B.
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

COLUMBUS – The Indiana Hoosiers may have lost the Big Ten title with a relay DQ last night, but IU certainly didn’t give up with a monster final preliminary session at the Big Ten Championships.

Indiana dropped the hammer in the 200-yard backstroke with an amazing five swimmers making the A final and two making the B final in a last ditch effort to overtake Minnesota after a relay DQ last night.

Although Michigan’s Clara Smiddy posted the top time with a 1:52.68, Indiana’s performance was the story of the event.

Reigning NCAA Champion Brooklynn Snodgrass took second in 1:53.22 with Allie Day placing third in 1:54.17 for IU.

Cynthia Pammett (1:54.79), Marie Chamberlain (1:55.39) and Justine Ress (1:55.65) also made the A final, while Dorina Szekeres (1:56.44) and Shelby Carroll (1:56.89) will swim in the B final.

Wisconsin’s Ivy Martin, the MVP of the meet thus far, turned up the heat again in the 100-yard freestyle preliminary rounds.

Martin clocked a blazing 47.58 to lower her own conference and meet record of 47.78 from last year’s event.  She’s just off Lacey Nymeyer’s 2008 pool record of 47.50, and that’s pretty much assured of falling this evening.

Martin is closing in on the top 20 all time in the event currently anchored by Emily Silver with a 47.45 from the 2007 NCAA Championships.

In the team race, Minnesota picked up two spots with Lauren Votava (48.50) and Rebecca Weiland (48.68), while Wisconsin went two up with Martin and a pending swimoff between teammates Chase Kinney and Aja Van Hout with 49.00s for eighth.

Indiana’s Kennedy Goss showed some speed, coming down from her wins in the 200 and 500 free to post a 48.69 for sixth.

Minnesota’s Kierra Smith crushed prelims in the 100-yard breast with a time of 2:06.43.  That NCAA A cut nearly downed Rebecca Soni’s pool record of 2:06.32 from 2008.  It’s also just a bit shy of former Gopher Haley Spencer’s Big Ten record of 2:05.98 from 2013.

Michigan’s Emily Kopas (2:10.15) and Penn State’s Melissa Rodriguez (2:10.43) placed second and third.

Indiana concluded a phenomenal final session with Big Ten record holder Gia Dalesandro posting a 1:55.16 to lead the way in the women’s 200-yard fly. Bailey Pressey also made her way into the A final with a seventh-place 1:57.52 for IU.

Minnesota countered with Danielle Nack (1:57.15) and Devin Ste Marie (1:57.51) qualifying fourth and sixth.

Platform diving and the women’s 1650-yard freestyle will tell a lot of the rest of the story this afternoon.

Minnesota has four of the top 16 seeds in the 1650, while IU has just two. Additionally, Minnesota has really been putting it to the rest of the conference in diving.

 2015 Big Ten Women’s Championships, Live Results – Results

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