MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 24. COACH DENNIS DALE'S Minnesota Golden Gophers won the Big 10 men's championship in 1996 and again in 1998, so by rights they should have won again last season.<\/p>\n
Wrong. Coach Jon Urbancek's Michigan Wolverines took the top spot.<\/p>\n
But there was nothin' like a "little home cookin'" this year for Gov. Jesse Ventura's favorite team as Minnesota stroked to a record-setting victory with 797 points, the most scored since 1974.<\/p>\n
Michigan and Penn State were tied for the runner-up spot going into tonight's final session but the Wolverines — on the strength of four top-eight finishes in the 1650 free, including Sydney mile bronze medalist Chris Thompson's record-breaking 14:31.15 effort — took second with 549 points.<\/p>\n
Coach Peter Brown's Nittany Lions, who won the title a couple of years ago, were third with 538.<\/p>\n
Dale was named Big 10 Coach of the Year, diving coach KZ Li was amed Diving Coach of the Year, and sophomore backstroker Todd Smolinski – with a Big 10 record-breaking 46.91 100 win and a 200 runner-up finish — was named Swimmer of the Championships. Senior teammate Dan Croaston was named Big 10 Diver of the Year and Diver of the Championships.<\/p>\n
Thompson — with a win in the 500 (pr 4:16.11) to go along with his great "mile" clocking — was named Big 10 Swimmer of the Year.<\/p>\n
The only man to swim a 1650 faster than Thompson is former Michigander Tom Dolan, whose 14:29.31 from the 1995 NCAAs in Indianapolis is the American-collegiate record. Dolan also holds the American-NCAA records in the 500 free and 400 IM (4:08.75-3:38.18), along with the world record in the 400 IM and a pair of Olympic golds in this race from Atlanta and Sydney — not to mention World Championship wins in '94-'98.<\/p>\n
The previous second-fastest 1650 belonged to Arizona's Ryk Neethling, who clocked 14:32.50 en route to the NCAA title in Auburn three years ago.<\/p>\n
Thompson's previous pr in the mile was a 14:38.96 that earned him runner-up honors at NCAAs two years ago in Indy. Neethling won that race too (14:35.57). Last season Thompson was expected to finally get the gold but instead was "upset" at NCAAs by USC rookie Erik Vendt, who was a teammate at Sydney where he won a silver medal in the 400 IM and was a mile finalist. <\/p>\n
Vendt will have his chance to reclaim top honors in the 1650 this weekend at Long Beach, CA.'s Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool during the Pac-10 Championships.<\/p>\n
Other winners for the Gophers tonight included Ben Bartell in the 200 back (pr 1:44.30); Swedish Olympian Martin Gustavsson (pr, school record and nation-leading 1:56.04, just off the meet standard 1:55.87 by ex-Michigander Eric Wunderlich); and Malaysian Olympian Keam Ang's Big 10 200 fly record 1:44.25 — breaking the old meet record of 1:44.33 by ex-Golden Gopher Sean Quackenbush from 1990.<\/p>\n
Ohio State's Brian Malich defended his 100 free title (pr 43.27), with 50 free champ Bob Molittieri (Penn State) runner-up in 43.72.<\/p>\n
The Nittany Lions climaxed the evening's proceedings with a Big 10 record-breaking and nation-leading 400 free relay win (2:54.25). The old record was 2:54.62 by Michigan from the 1995 Championships.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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