#22 Michigan Women 151.5, #8 Indiana Women 148.5
The Michigan women have swum well this year, despite heavy losses off of their 2011 team. The latest chapter in their 2011-2012 season came at the hands of a big upset, by a slim 3 points, over the #8 Indiana women.
Ironically, the victory was clinched at the hands of a Michigan diver, despite Indiana’s top-5 diving program. Michigan senior Amanda Lohman posted a score of 360.60 on the 3-meter to bump the final team tally out of reach and clinch the victory for the Wolverines.
Lohman was the cherry that topped off the win, but there were many great performances by her teammates to lead-up to her clincher. They kicked off the meet with a 1-2 finish in the 200 medley, including a 1:42.14 to top the field in one of the team’s strongest events.
Michigan would win another event in Indiana’s wheelhouse in the 1000 free, with Adrienne Bicek topping the 1000 free in 9:56.43. Brittany Strumbel took 2nd in 9:58.50, which is her best time of the season (at NCAA’s she was a 100-200-500 swimmer, so the 1000 is not quite in her wheelhouse).
Indiana would fight back in the next event, the 200 free, thanks to a pair of 1:50’s from Margaux Farrell and Lindsay Vrooman. This gave us a big indicator of where Indiana was in their training, as they were both significantly slower than they were the same weekend (also against Michigan) last season. Either Indiana was off on this meet, or they are really killing themselves in workouts.
Indiana followed that up with another win, and in fact a 1-2-3 finish from their impressive freshman backstroking trio. This time, it was Allie Day who upstaged her more touted teammate Justine Ress for the victory by time of 56.23-56.25. Cynthia Pammett was 3rd in 56.58. Day would double up with a win in the 200 backstroke in 2:01.05. Former Hoosier Kate Fasenko earned an NCAA Championship in the 200 back two years ago, and Indiana has rolled that into the beginning of a great women’s backstroking legacy since.
Michigan also took a 1-2-3 in the 100 breaststroke, with Angie Chokran’s 1:03.51 topping the field. The top Indiana finishers, Ashley Specht and Bronwyn Pasloski were both in 1:05’s, with both capable of 1:00’s (or better) at the end of the year.
Indiana’s Vrooman snatched the 500 free victory in 4:50.60 to knock off 1000 winner Bicek. That swim for Vrooman was actually one of the more on-target swims of the meet, and she could be due for a very good taper at year’s end. Bicek’s 4:51 was also a good swim for her.
Michigan senior, and the spearhead of the team, Caitlin Dauw added a pair of impressive victories in the 100 (54.26) and 200 (2:00.39) butterflies. That 100 fly time is very strong, and is the 2nd-best time in the country this semester through the first round of 2012 dual meets. Indiana butterflier Brenna MacLean, who’s had a tough season overall, was again well back with a 100 fly time of 57.51 for 7th. Still, that was her best time of the season.
Both teams seemed to be in pretty heavy training at this meet, but the Wolverines did just enough to pull off the win.
