Siobhan Haughey and Liz Li Set Up Epic 100 Free Duel on Last Day of Big Tens

Photo Courtesy: Dan D'Addona

The last day of the 2018 Women’s Big Ten Conference Championships were set up for an exciting finish as Michigan is once again the class of the conference getting the most second swims. Meet records have a chance to fall in a few events tonight as Beata Nelson, Lilly King and Siobhan Haughey are the top seeds in their events.

Below are the number of swims that each team will have tonight in the individual pool events. Michigan is still way ahead but the battle for second between Indiana, Minnesota and Ohio State will be one to keep an eye on as Ohio State had a good morning.

(Diving has also been put into the numbers below)

Ups, Mids, Downs

Michigan, 10, 8, 3
Indiana, 5, 8, 7
Minnesota, 6, 3, 4
Ohio State, 6, 6, 5
Wisconsin, 4, 4, 1
Purdue, 4, 2, 3
Northwestern, 2, 3, 3
Penn State, 0, 2, 0
Iowa, 0, 0, 5
Nebraska, 0, 2, 6
Rutgers, 2, 2, 1
Illinois, 1, 0, 0
Michigan State, 0, 0, 2

200 Back

Wisconsin’s Beata Nelson leads a strong field in the 200 back with a 1:50.46 to break the Big Ten meet record that was a 1:50.60 held by Indiana’s Brooklynn Snodgrass from 2015. Nelson has the chance to sweep the backstroke events after she won the 100 last night. She will be joined in the final by two other Badgers in Jess Unicomb (1:52.99) and Kathleen Coughlin (1:54.62).

Indiana’s Kennedy Goss (1:52.12) and Michigan’s Clara Smiddy (1:52.61) are the two defending champions as Smiddy won in 2016 and Goss won in 2017.

Michigan’s Jacqueline Schafer (1:53.79), Minnesota’s Tevyn Waddell (1:54.63) and Ohio State’s Kristen Romano (1:54.65) will also swim in the championship final.

 Event 16  Women 200 Yard Backstroke
==================================================================
     B1G Meet: @ 1:50.46  2/17/2018 Elizabeth Nelson, Wisconsin-WI
         Pool: # 1:50.46  2/17/2018 Elizabeth Nelson, Wisconsin-WI
                 1:50.99  A NCAA Qualifying
                 1:59.19  B NCAA Provisional
    Name           Year School               Seed    Prelims              
==================================================================
                      === Preliminaries ===                       
 
  1 Nelson, Elizabe  SO Wisconsin         1:51.21    1:50.46@qA     
    r:+0.68  25.79        53.57 (27.78)
        1:21.95 (28.38)     1:50.46 (28.51)
  2 Goss, Kennedy    SR Indiana           1:54.44    1:52.12 qB     
    r:+0.61  26.93        55.29 (28.36)
        1:23.62 (28.33)     1:52.12 (28.50)
  3 Smiddy, Clara    SR Michigan          1:51.03    1:52.61 qB     
    r:+0.69  26.74        54.96 (28.22)
        1:23.74 (28.78)     1:52.61 (28.87)
  4 Unicomb, Jessic  JR Wisconsin         1:54.90    1:52.99 qB     
    r:+0.57  26.54        55.04 (28.50)
        1:24.19 (29.15)     1:52.99 (28.80)
  5 Schafer, Jacque  SO Michigan          1:56.09    1:53.79 qB     
    r:+0.61  27.11        56.04 (28.93)
        1:25.09 (29.05)     1:53.79 (28.70)
  6 Coughlin, Kathl  JR Wisconsin         1:57.28    1:54.62 qB     
    r:+0.70  26.79        55.78 (28.99)
        1:25.53 (29.75)     1:54.62 (29.09)
  7 Waddell, Tevyn   SO Minnesota         1:54.84    1:54.63 qB     
    r:+0.67  26.40        55.32 (28.92)
        1:25.13 (29.81)     1:54.63 (29.50)
  8 Romano, Kristen  FR Ohio St           1:52.86    1:54.65 qB     
    r:+0.65  27.05        56.07 (29.02)
        1:25.13 (29.06)     1:54.65 (29.52)

100 Free

The 100 free is shaping up to be another good race as the winner of the 200, Siobhan Haughey of Michigan is seeded first with a 47.77, while the winner of the 50 Liz Li of Ohio State is seeded third at 47.93. Michigan’s Gabby DeLoof is in between both of them with a 47.86 from this morning. Li has the meet record that she set last year of 47.50, and the winner could definitely be coming home with that. Li and Haughey are going for their third title in the 100 tonight.

Michigan had two other girls make the A-final with Catie DeLoof (48.27) and Daria Pyshnenko (48.77) seeded fourth and fifth. The Wolverines are well on their way to their third straight title as they are continuing to pile on the points by stacking up the A-finals with swimmers in maize and blue.

Minnesota’s Zoe Avestruz (49.05), Wisconsin’s Marissa Berg (49.09) and Ohio State’s Macie McNichols (49.12) will also swim in the championship final.

 Event 17  Women 100 Yard Freestyle
==================================================================
     B1G Meet: @ 47.50  2/18/2017 Zhesi Li, Ohio State
         Pool: # 46.70  12/2/2017 Mallory Comerford, Univ Louisville-
                 47.53  A NCAA Qualifying
                 49.99  B NCAA Provisional
    Name           Year School               Seed    Prelims              
==================================================================
                      === Preliminaries ===                       
 
  1 Haughey, Siobha  JR Michigan            47.20      47.77 qB     
    r:+0.74  11.04        22.96 (11.92)
          35.38 (12.42)       47.77 (12.39)
  2 Deloof, Gabriel  SR Michigan            48.35      47.86 qB     
    r:+0.73  11.00        22.91 (11.91)
          35.31 (12.40)       47.86 (12.55)
  3 Li, Zhesi        SR Ohio St             48.23      47.93 qB     
    r:+0.67  10.76        22.90 (12.14)
          35.39 (12.49)       47.93 (12.54)
  4 Deloof, Catheri  JR Michigan            48.37      48.27 qB     
    r:+0.68  11.09        23.15 (12.06)
          35.75 (12.60)       48.27 (12.52)
  5 Pyshnenko, Dari  FR Michigan            49.86      48.77 qB     
    r:+0.74  11.02        23.32 (12.30)
          35.94 (12.62)       48.77 (12.83)
  6 Avestruz, Zoe    JR Minnesota           48.43      49.05 qB     
    r:+0.73  11.04        23.23 (12.19)
          35.92 (12.69)       49.05 (13.13)
  7 Berg, Marissa    SR Wisconsin           49.27      49.09 qB     
    r:+0.67  11.25        23.38 (12.13)
          36.13 (12.75)       49.09 (12.96)
  8 McNichols, Maci  SR Ohio St             49.18      49.12 qB     
    r:+0.63  11.12        23.50 (12.38)
          36.23 (12.73)       49.12 (12.89)

200 Breast

Indiana’s Lilly King is going for her third straight Big Ten title in the 200 breast as she leads the field by almost two full seconds. King swam a 2:06.38 on Saturday morning at the Big Ten Championships in Columbus. She is ahead of Minnesota’s Lindsey Kozelsky (2:08.05) and Michigan’s Miranda Tucker (2:09.82).

King also just missed her own American Record last night in the 100 as she could potentially track down her 2:04.03 meet record she set last year. She has already indicated she has a lot left after she came home in a 30.56 after splitting 33’s.

Michigan’s Emily Kopas (2:09.91), Minnesota’s Rachel Munson (2:10.59), Ohio State’s Hanna Gresser (2:11.01), Indiana’s Laura Morley (2:11.35) and Northwestern’s Sophie Angus (2:11.41) will also swim in the championship final.

 Event 18  Women 200 Yard Breaststroke
==================================================================
     B1G Meet: @ 2:04.03  2/18/2017 Lillia King, Indiana-IN
         Pool: # 2:06.32  3/16/2008 Rebecca Soni, Southern Califor
                 2:07.18  A NCAA Qualifying
                 2:15.99  B NCAA Provisional
    Name           Year School               Seed    Prelims              
==================================================================
                      === Preliminaries ===                       
 
  1 King, Lillia     JR Indiana           2:10.13    2:06.38 qA     
    r:+0.69  28.76      1:02.08 (33.32)
        1:35.82 (33.74)     2:06.38 (30.56)
  2 Kozelsky, Linds  SO Minnesota         2:09.48    2:08.05 qB     
    r:+0.70  28.47      1:00.66 (32.19)
        1:34.01 (33.35)     2:08.05 (34.04)
  3 Tucker, Miranda  SO Michigan          2:08.73    2:09.82 qB     
    r:+0.66  28.99      1:02.03 (33.04)
        1:35.57 (33.54)     2:09.82 (34.25)
  4 Kopas, Emily     SR Michigan          2:09.75    2:09.91 qB     
    r:+0.68  29.49      1:02.92 (33.43)
        1:36.10 (33.18)     2:09.91 (33.81)
  5 Munson, Rachel   JR Minnesota         2:12.73    2:10.59 qB     
    r:+0.69  30.44      1:03.18 (32.74)
        1:36.50 (33.32)     2:10.59 (34.09)
  6 Gresser, Hanna   FR Ohio St           2:13.62    2:11.01 qB     
    r:+0.71  29.14      1:01.99 (32.85)
        1:36.08 (34.09)     2:11.01 (34.93)
  7 Morley, Laura    JR Indiana           2:12.84    2:11.35 qB     
    r:+0.75  29.84      1:02.91 (33.07)
        1:36.79 (33.88)     2:11.35 (34.56)
  8 Angus, Sophie    FR Northwestern      2:15.86    2:11.41 qB     
    r:+0.70  29.36      1:02.87 (33.51)
        1:36.65 (33.78)     2:11.41 (34.76)

200 Fly

The 200 fly final looks to be a wide open final after four time reigning champion Gia Dalesandro of Ohio State exhausted her eligibility. Michigan’s Vanessa Krause is the top seed at 1:55.02 and Ohio State’s Meg Bailey is second in her home pool at 1:55.36. Purdue senior Emmy Rawson is the third seed at 1:55.95 and could be the spoiler.

Michigan’s Sierra Schmidt (1:55.99) will be coming off the 1650 earlier in the session so that may or may not affect her by the time the 200 fly final comes around at the end of the session.

Minnesota’s Danielle Nack (1:56.43), Indiana’s Shelby Koontz (1:56.89), Rutgers’ Francesca Stoppa (1:56.90) and Purdue’s Taite Kitchel (1:56.91) will also swim in the championship final as Koontz will be looking to extend IU’s 200 fly winning tradition.

 Event 19  Women 200 Yard Butterfly
==================================================================
     B1G Meet: @ 1:53.67  2/18/2017 Gia Dalesandro, Indiana
         Pool: # 1:51.02  12/4/2010 Katinka Hosszu, Southern Calif
                 1:53.80  A NCAA Qualifying
                 1:59.59  B NCAA Provisional
    Name           Year School               Seed    Prelims              
==================================================================
                      === Preliminaries ===                       
 
  1 Krause, Vanessa  SO Michigan          1:56.09    1:55.02 qB     
    r:+0.67  26.09        55.54 (29.45)
        1:24.92 (29.38)     1:55.02 (30.10)
  2 Bailey, Meg      SR Ohio St           1:55.40    1:55.36 qB     
    r:+0.70  25.67        55.12 (29.45)
        1:24.89 (29.77)     1:55.36 (30.47)
  3 Rawson, Emmy     SR Purdue            1:57.77    1:55.95 qB     
    r:+0.76  26.57        56.05 (29.48)
        1:25.89 (29.84)     1:55.95 (30.06)
  4 Schmidt, Sierra  FR Michigan          1:58.00    1:55.99 qB     
    r:+0.72  26.51        56.10 (29.59)
        1:26.08 (29.98)     1:55.99 (29.91)
  5 Nack, Danielle   SR Minnesota         1:56.46    1:56.43 qB     
    r:+0.71  25.53        54.73 (29.20)
        1:24.90 (30.17)     1:56.43 (31.53)
  6 Koontz, Shelby   SO Indiana           1:57.21    1:56.89 qB     
    r:+0.76  25.72        55.08 (29.36)
        1:25.30 (30.22)     1:56.89 (31.59)
  7 Stoppa, Frances  JR Rutgers           1:57.21    1:56.90 qB     
    r:+0.63  25.88        55.38 (29.50)
        1:26.07 (30.69)     1:56.90 (30.83)
  8 Kitchel, Taite   JR Purdue            1:56.42    1:56.91 qB     
    r:+0.78  26.72        56.40 (29.68)
        1:26.16 (29.76)     1:56.91 (30.75)

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use

Name*

Email*

1 Comment

Oldest

Newest Most Voted

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

dunc1952

6 years ago

Gia Dalesandro won the last 4 B1G 200 Butterflys for Indiana, not Ohio State.