Siobhan Haughey Building on Elite Year for Michigan

Michigan's Siobhan Haughey. Photo Courtesy: Michigan Athletics

By Dan D’Addona.

Siobhan Haughey wasn’t even looking at the University of Michigan at first.

But a fellow swimmer from Hong Kong told Haughey what it was like swimming for the Wolverines and she was convinced.

“Claudia Lau told me about how the coaches and team culture molded everyone into leaders,” Haughey said. “I was fascinated by what they were doing for their student athletes. I felt it was the perfect fit.”

It was.

Haughey went on to help the Wolverines win the Big Ten Championships last year as a freshman, and her experience has made her a leader as a sophomore. She leads No. 6 Michigan into this week’s Big Ten Championships at Purdue.

“Obviously, winning Big Tens last year was amazing, especially in our home pool. This year, as the defending champion, people are chasing us,” she said.

That Big Ten title last year began a stellar year for Haughey as she was named Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships, winning the 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle and 200 IM. She then went on to earn All-American honors at the NCAA Championships, taking fifth in the 200-yard freestyle (1:43.35), 11th in the 100 freestyle (48.26) and 12th in the 200 IM (1:56.01).

“I think it definitely helped a lot. At NCAAs, the top swimmers at the U.S. were all there and some of the went to the Olympics. For me, it was kind of a preview of what the Olympics could be like. Knowing I did well made me know that I could also swim well at the Olympics,” she said.

But she exceeded everyone’s expectations in Rio — especially her own.

Haughey qualified for the Olympics for Hong Kong and reached the semifinals in the 200-meter freestyle, finishing 13th in a Hong Kong national record time of 1:57.56.

“It was an amazing experience. Before I went to Rio, all I could think about is what the atmosphere would be like,” she said. “I knew I would have a good race because of my preparation, and I was feeling good. But I never thought I would go that fast. I hoped I could get into the semifinals but that seemed a bit unreachable at that time. I was really excited and everything was just amazing.”

There is a special honor in setting the national record.

“It is really amazing. I think it is also something that shows how all the hard work pays off. It really motivates me to try harder, especially at world championships this year, possibly getting into finals,” she said. “It definitely helped my confidence. Sometimes when there is a hard set and I feel like I didn’t swim well, my coach always reminds me that I am one of the best in the world. Sometimes I forget I even went to the Olympics because there is so much going on. But wanting to go to the next Olympics pushes me harder.”

Wanting to repeat as Big Ten champion is pushing Haughey pretty hard, too. She has the third-fastest time in the 200 freestyle (1:42.93) this season, only trailing Olympic gold medalists Simone Manuel (1:41.90) and Katie Ledecky (1:42.16) and is in the top 15 in the 200 IM and 100 freestyle. All of the returning NCAA swimmers have taken a big step this season for the Wolverines.

“They are key. They have to lead this team,” Michigan coach Mike Bottom said.

That begins in practice.

“One of the biggest reasons (for my success) is at Michigan we have a great training atmosphere,” she said. “Everyone is pushing each other. Even though we have really hard sets, we are working our best and putting all of our effort in. I don’t think I would be able to do it without the team. They are my emotional support. I would never be able tot swim at this high level swimming alone.

“I am feeling pretty good and the team is as well. Since the beginning of the season, we have been working really hard on our details. We are so excited to see what the team can do. Hopefully, I can be executing all the details and we will see what happens.”

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