NCAA Division I Meet of the Week: Big Ten’s Best — Indiana vs Michigan

The road to the Big Ten Swimming championship has gone through Indiana and Michigan the past few years, making this week’s showdown the NCAA Division I meet of the week.

The Indiana men have won three titles in a row, while the Hoosier women are coming off of a huge Big Ten meet last year, dethroning Michigan after the Wolverines won three in a row.

BIG TEN COVERAGE

But the rivalry looks a lot different heading into the dual meet showdown this week. No Lilly King. No Siobhan Haughey. No Catie DeLoof. No Zach Apple. No Ian Finnerty. No Vini Lanza.

There are still plenty of elite swimmers, led by Michigan’s world champion Maggie MacNeil, ready to get back into the swing of the college season after break with this rivalry meet, which begins at 11 a.m. ET at Michigan on Saturday.

In the men’s Big Ten swimming showdown, the two schools represent the top time in every individual event so far this season except for the breaststroke events.

Indiana has the three fastest times in the Big Ten this season in the 100 back led by Jacob Steele (46.10), Gabriel Fantoni (46.53) and Mohamed Hassan (46.80). Hassan (1:41.03) and Steele (1:41.82) have the top two times in the 200 back.

The 100 butterfly should be an exciting race as Indiana’s Brendan Burns (46.12) and Michigan’s Miles Smachlo (46.15) have the top two times in the conference and are separated by just three hundredths of a second. They also have the top two times in the 200 fly.

Michigan’s Gus Borges has the top time in the conference in the 50 free (19.31) he is second in the 100 free (42.70) to Indiana’s Bruno Blaskovic (42.44).

Michigan’s Patrick Callan has the top 200 free time in the conference with a 1:32.91 ahead of Indiana’s Hassan (1:33.65). Callan also has the top 500 time in 4:12.29 ahead of teammates Felix Auböck (4:14.00) and Ricardo Vargas (4:15.90). Auböck, the defending NCAA champion, has the top time in the 1650 free in 14:42.29.

Michigan’s Tommy Cope has the top time in the 200 IM in 1:43.26 ahead of Hassan (1:44.00). Cope, (3:43.05), Charlie Swanson (3:43.82) and William Roberts (3:45.49) have the top three times in the 400 IM for the Wolverines.

Neither team has the top swim in the breaststroke events, though the Wolverines have three of the top five in both the 100 and 200, including Jeremy Babinet (second) with an “A” cut of 51.63 in the 100 and Cope (1:52.31) and Babinet (1:52.52) with “A” cuts in the 200.

In the women’s Big Ten swimming showdown, Michigan’s Maggie MacNeil has the top time in the Big Ten in the 50 free (21.60), the 100 free (47.16), the 100 butterfly (49.26),

Indiana’s Cora Dupre is just behind MacNeil in the 100 free (47.84).

Michigan’s Miranda Tucker has the top time in the 100 breast in 58.41, an NCAA “A” cut. Indiana’s Emily Weiss is not too far behind at 59.00. In the 200 breast, Tucker has the top time in 2:08.01, ahead of Indiana’s Noelle Peoplowski (2:08.25).

Michigan’s Sierra Schmidt (15:49.9) and Kaitlynn Sims (15:51.06) have the top two times in the 1650 free. Vanessa Krause is second in the 200 fly (1:55.99).

It should be a great kick off to the new year with the Big Ten swimming showdown between the Hoosiers and Wolverines.

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