The No. 4-ranked Michigan women’s swimming and diving program held on to win a close 154-146 contest on Friday (Jan. 9) over No. 10 Indiana at Canham Natatorium to remain undefeated on the year.
Michigan (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) started out strong with the team of Bella Sims, Letitia Sim, Brady Kendall, and Stephanie Balduccini combining for a win in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:34.57.
Sim played a big role in the victory, as she added on three wins in the individual section of the meet, placing first in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke with times of 59.41 seconds and 2:09.32, respectively, and came out on top in the 200-yard individual medley with a mark of 1:56.40.
Hannah Bellard picked up two individual victories, winning the 500 free and also setting a new Michigan record with a 1:50.72 in her 200-yard butterfly first-place finish.
Sims continued her strong season, winning the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 50.35 and placing second in the 200 back. Overall, Sims holds the second-best time in the nation in the 100 back.
Closing out a sweep of the long-distance events for the Maize and Blue, Rebecca Diaconescu touched the wall at 9:42.96 to win the 1,000-yard freestyle.
Finally, with the margin of victory being just eight points, Kendall’s pair of second-place finishes were crucial in the winning effort, putting up a time of 21.93 in the 50 free and finishing the 100 fly in 52.80.
The Wolverines shone in the 200-yard butterfly with the top two finishers, as Colin Geer touched the wall at 1:43.37 and Lorne Wigginton just behind at 1:43.54.
Freshman Alex Shackell debuted with a program record in the 200-yard butterfly, going 1:52.98 in a second-place finish. It marks the second consecutive meet that a Hoosier has broken the 200 fly school record after junior Miranda Grana went 1:53.25 against Cincinnati in December – her first-ever swim of the event. Shackell then earned her first-career victory in the 100-yard butterfly with a 50.98, making her the third Hoosier under 51 seconds in the event.
Shackell was one of three freshmen to contribute to Indiana’s 400-yard freestyle relay program record, as her 46.98 anchor marked the only split under 47 seconds and finished off a 3:09.81. Classmate Liberty Clark opened the relay in 47.37, followed by senior Kristina Paegle’s 47.26. Freshman Grace Hoeper split 48.20 in the third spot before handing it over to Shackell.
Clark sustained her phenomenal form from the fall, again winning the 50 free (21.83), 100 free (47.26) and 200 freestyle (1:42.10) while contributing to both relays.
The Hoosier men remain unbeaten with a 187-113 victory over the Wolverines. On the men’s side, junior Mikkel Lee made it a Hoosier sweep in the 50 free (19.24) and 100 free (42.34).
Senior Zalán Sárkány set the tone for the men, dropping a pool record in the 1,000-yard freestyle with an 8:39.94, over a second faster than Collin Jaeger’s previous standard (8:41.09) from 11 years earlier. Sárkány led a 1-2-3 Indiana finish in the event with sophomore Luke Whitlock (8:52.02) and freshman Luke Ellis (9:01.27) before picking up a second individual victory in the 500-yard freestyle (4:13.65).
Sophomore Miroslav Knedla swept the backstroke events, posting a 45.79 in the 100 back and a 1:40.69 in the 200 back.
On the springboards, Indiana senior Maxwell Weinrich posted a 356.78 on 1-meter and a 400.28 on 3-meter to capture both events. On 3-meter, Weinrich posted scores of 72 points or better on three of his six dives. Witte followed suit and displayed consistency in her 3-meter program with scores of 54.00, 54.60, 54.68, 58.80, 58.80 and 65.25.
The Maize and Blue (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) opened the meet with a victory in the 200-yard medley relay, as Jack Wilkening, Luka Mladenovic, Tyler Ray and Ole Eidam combined for a time of 1:23.63
Mladenovic continued his incredible year, picking up a win in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke with times of 51.69 and 1:52.22, respectively. He also added a second-place finish in the 200-yard IM with a time of 1:43.94. Mladenovic has already claimed three Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors this season.
Ray also had a successful individual outing — winning the 100-yard butterfly with a 45.54 and placing second in the 50-yard free with a 19.24.
The Wolverines shone in the 200-yard butterfly with the top two finishers, as Colin Geer touched the wall at 1:43.37 and Lorne Wigginton just behind at 1:43.54.
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