2017 Women’s B1G Championships: Day 3 Finals Live Recap

2017 B1G WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Wednesday, February 15th to Saturday, February 18th | Prelims 11am | Finals 6:30pm
• Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN (Eastern Time Zone)
• Defending Champions: Michigan Wolverines (results)
• Psych Sheet
• Live Results
• Live Stream via Big Ten Network
• Championship Central

Day 3’s Finals session at the 2017 Big Ten Women’s Championships will feature a record watch Indiana sophomore Lilly King. After breaking the pool record in prelims in 57.46, she’ll be chasing her 56.85 from last year’s NCAA Championships in finals. Remember that her 25.55 breaststroke split from Tuesday is half-a-second faster than she was on the medley relay at NCAAs last year, when she set that record.

Also featured in a long finals session on Friday will be the 100 fly, 400 IM, 200 free, (100 breast), 100 back, the 3-meter diving final, and the 200 free relay.

100 Fly Finals

• B1G Record: 51.42, Zhesi Li, Ohio State, 2016                   
• B1G Meet: 51.61, Becca Weiland, Minnesota, 2013
• Pool:  51.43, Elaine Breeden, Stanford, 2010
• NCAA A Cut: 51.49
• NCAA B Cut: 54.49

1. Gia Dalesandro, Indiana, 50.45
2. Liz Li, Ohio State, 50.90
3. Vanessa Krause, Michigan, 52.22

After placing 2nd in the 100 fly at each of the last 3 Big Ten Championship Meets, Indiana senior Gia Dalesandro had her 100 fly breakthrough on Friday. There, she took the title in 50.45 to knock off defending champion Liz Li (50.90) and take the Big Ten Conference Record.

Dalesandro was out fast, and was the only swimmer in the field to split under 24 seconds opening. The time is also the fastest in the country this season, and is faster than anybody aside from the now-graduated Kelsi Worrell swam at NCAAs last season.

Michigan’s Vanessa Krause took 3rd in 52.22 as just a freshman, beating out Wisconsin’s Beata Nelson – the National Public High School Record holder.

400 IM Finals

• B1G Record: 4:01.41, Allysa Vavra, Indiana, 2012             
• B1G Meet: 4:01.41, Allysa Vavra, Indiana, 2012                      
• Pool: 4:00.90, Julia Smit, Stanford, 2010
• NCAA A Cut: 4:05.36
• NCAA B Cut: 4:19.39

Ohio State’s Lindsay Clary made seniors 2-for-2 to start the session. She swam a 4:04.09, which is within half-a-second of her winning time from last year’s meet.

While her closing freestyle and breaststroke splits were very different from last year’s title-winning swim, Clary’s splitting up to that point was quite different. Last season, she split 57.28 on the fly and 1:00.69 on the backstroke. This year 56.83 on the fly and 1:01.10 on the backstroke, a more aggressive approach to the swim.

She beat out Penn State’s Allyson McHugh, who broke the school record in 4:06.27. Wisconsin’s Danielle Valley took 3rd in 4:08.33.

Ohio State will graduate Clary after this season, but the IM group remains strong for the Buckeyes. Meg Bailey took 4th (4:08.35) and Kathrin Demler took 5th (4:09.74) in the race.

200 Free Finals

• B1G Record: 1:42.93, Siobhan Haughey, Michigan, 2016 
• B1G Meet: 1:43.51, Siobhan Haughey, Michigan, 2016            
• Pool: 1:42.84, Allison Schmitt, Georgia, 2010
• NCAA A Cut: 1:43.63
• NCAA B Cut: 1:47.99

Michigan sophomore Siobhan Haughey successfully defended her 2016 title to lead the 200 free, taking down conference and meet records in the process. Haughey was 1:42.49, cutting a half-second off her overall conference record from a year ago. She also broke her own meet record, swimming a full second faster than she was at this time last year. And completing the trifecta, Haughey took out the 1:42.84 pool record set by Olympian Allison Schmitt back in 2010.

Wisconsin’s Cierra Runge was second in 1:43.78, coming up with her second silver medal in as many days in her first year in the Big Ten. The former Cal All-American is turning out to be a huge pickup for Wisconsin, which runs 2nd in team points at the moment.

Despite Haughey’s win, Gabby DeLoof taking third in 1:44.22, G Ryan earning 5th with a 1:45.12 and Becca Postoll going 1:46.10 for 8th for Michigan, Indiana still leads. The Hoosiers had 4th-place Kennedy Goss (1:44.30) and 6th-place Maria Heitmann (1:45.77) in the top 8. Goss moved up one spot from last year, and Heitmann is proving a big international pickup for IU, coming in from Brazil this season.

IU currently leads Wisconsin by 38 and Michigan by 54. Minnesota is 4th, 87 points out of third and only 20 ahead of Ohio State.

100 Breast Finals

• B1G Record: 56.85, Lillia King, Indiana, 2016                      
• B1G Meet: 57.35, Lillia King, Indiana, 2016               
• Pool: 58.06, Annie Chandler, Arizona, 2010
• NCAA A Cut: 59.04
• NCAA B Cut: 1:02.49

Indiana’s Lilly King came through once again with a massive 100 breaststroke swim, smashing American and NCAA records with a 56.30 and coming as close as anyone in history to the first 55-second 100 breast ever on the women’s side.

King, already the first-ever under 57, cut a half-second off her best time, which still stood as the Big Ten record of 56.85. Bear in mind that King was just 57.35 at this meet last year before cutting that half-second at NCAAs. King continues to break new ground in the breaststrokes and is the runaway favorite to win the NCAA title.

King’s swim overshadows what were two great swims by Minnesota’s breaststroke duo. Freshman Lindsey Horejsi was 58.90, a season-best and only about four tenths off her lifetime-best. Meanwhile Kierra Smith broke 59 for the first time ever, going 58.95 for third. The Gophers also had Rachel Munson (1:00.65, 7th) in the A final.

Michigan had Emily Kopas (59.54) in the A final and Wisconsin had Maria Carlson (1:00.36) as the top four teams continued to jockey for position. IU’s lead is down to 9.5 above Michigan. Wisconsin sits 3rd, 45 points out of the lead and 48 points ahead of Minnesota, with Ohio State falling back towards the field in 5th.

100 Back Finals

• B1G Record: 51.05, Brooklynn Snodgrass, Indiana, 2014         
• B1G Meet: 51.51, Brooklynn Snodgrass, Indiana, 2015          
• Pool: 50.84, Gemma Spofforth, Florida, 2010
• NCAA A Cut: 51.45
• NCAA B Cut: 55.09

In one of the tightest races we’ve seen so far, Minnesota freshman Tevyn Waddell won the 100 backstroke over Michigan’s Clara Smiddy by just .02 seconds with a huge last lap.

The two were almost inseparable the entire way. Smiddy led by .14 at the first turn, but Waddell clawed back to tie things up at the 50. Smiddy opened up a lead of just .03 by the 75 turn, but Waddell roared home to win in 52.09 to Smiddy’s 52.11.

It was a good event for freshmen, with Wisconsin rookie Beata Nelson going 52.18 for third place. Nelson was just .02 behind the leaders at the halfway mark and led the field with 25 to go. Wisconsin also got big points from Jessica Unicomb (52.63 for 5th), while Minnesota’s Zoe Avestruz placed 4th in 52.49 and Michigan’s Gabby DeLoof went 52.96 for 7th.

Indiana did have two A finalists, but lost their team points lead to Michigan. The Wolverines are now up 3.5 on IU, as the top two have put some distance between themselves and the field. Wisconsin is 42 points ahead of Minnesota for third.

3-Meter Diving Finals

• B1G Record: 437.75
• B1G Meet: 421.70
• NCAA Zone Qualifying: 280.00

Minnesota’s Yu Zhou won her second diving gold of the week and the 6th overall of her career. Yu swept the diving events last year and is a perfect 2-for-2 this season, scoring 413.65 on 3-meter to take gold. Yu also won 1-meter and 3-meter in her first season competing, 2014-2015. That means Yu is the three-time consecutive conference champ on both springboards and will go for another sweep on tomorrow’s platform event.

Minnesota had 3 of the top 4 finishers, with Sarah Bacon scoring 384.30 for third and Lexi Tenenbaum 378.95 for fourth. In the mix was Nebraska’s Anna Filipcic, who scored 387.35 and finished second overall.

A big point swing pushed the Golden Gophers up to third, ahead of Wisconsin by 31. Michigan still leads, expanding their margin to 12.5 over Indiana. The Hoosiers are 31 ahead of Minnesota with one event remaining tonight.

 200 Free Relay Finals

• B1G Record: 1:26.86, Wisconsin, 2015
• B1G Meet: 1:27.70, Wisconsin, 2015
• Pool: 1:27.70, Stanford, 2010
• NCAA A Cut: 1:28.92
• NCAA B Cut: 1:29.75

Wisconsin took the 200 free relay title to end the night, taking advantage of the event’s new position in the meet order. In previous years, the 200 free was swum at the beginning of night 2 in the women’s Big Ten, the same night as the individual 50 free. This season, the event order swapped the 200 free relay with the 400 medley relay, which was previously swum on the same night as the 100 fly, 100 breast and 100 back.

The Badgers went 1:27.90 to win a thrilling come-from-behind victory without even using their best swimmer on the anchor leg. Chase Kinney swam second for Wisconsin, splitting 21.47. Interestingly enough, Ohio State countered with the exact same strategy, using Zhesi Li second and getting a blazing 21.07 split. But Wisconsin still had Marissa Berg for the anchor. Berg – who was only 22.5 in the individual 50 free earlier this week – went Super Saiyan on the anchor leg, splitting a killer 21.97 to run down Ohio State and pick up the win for Wisconsin by .09.

Others on the title-winning relay were Emmy Sehmann (22.36 leadoff) and Jessica Unicomb (22.10 split). Ohio State went 1:27.99, getting that 21.0 from Li and a 22.1 from third split Maria Coy.

Michigan was third overall with a 1:28.37. Siobhan Haughey was 21.77 and Gabby DeLoof 21.89 for the Wolverines, who head into the final day of action leading team scores by 14.5 over Indiana. IU was fourth in this relay at 1:30.41. Holly Spears split 22.3 on the anchor leg, and breaststroke superstar Lilly King was 22.6 to help out the relay.

Team Scores After Night 3:

1. Michigan – 805.5
2. Indiana – 791
3. Minnesota – 753
4. Wisconsin – 741
5. Ohio State – 529.5
6. Purdue – 457
7. Norwestern – 350
8. Penn State – 333
9. Rutgers – 310
10. Nebraska – 279
11. Iowa – 260
12. Illinois – 152
13. Michigan State – 149