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.<\/p>\n
Michigan (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) started out strong with the team of Bella Sims, Letitia Sim, Brady Kendall,<\/strong> and Stephanie Balduccini<\/strong> combining for a win in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:34.57.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Hannah Bellard<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Closing out a sweep of the long-distance events for the Maize and Blue, Rebecca Diaconescu<\/strong> touched the wall at 9:42.96 to win the 1,000-yard freestyle.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/strong> just behind at 1:43.54.<\/p>\n Freshman Alex Shackell<\/strong> 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<\/strong> went 1:53.25 against Cincinnati in December \u2013 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/strong> opened the relay in 47.37, followed by senior Kristina Paegl<\/strong>e’s 47.26. Freshman Grace<\/strong> Hoeper<\/strong> split 48.20 in the third spot before handing it over to Shackell.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n