Undefeated Michigan Men Overpower Ohio State in Front of Full House on Senior Day in Ann Arbor

890 people crowded into the Canham Natatorium in Ann Arbor, Michigan on Saturday to watch the Wolverines take on the Buckeyes in one of sport’s greatest rivalries. The home team won 12 of 16 events for a team victory of 183 to 117, improving their season record to 9-0 (5-0 in conference play). The loss was Ohio State’s first of the season; the Buckeyes dropped to 7-1 overall, 1-1 in Big Ten.

Full results available here.

Propelling Michigan to victory were Dylan Bosch, Richard Funk, and Anders Nielsen, who won a combined seven individual events on the day. Bosch won both butterfly events and the 200 IM. In the 100 fly he edged teammate Aaron Whitaker 47.34 to 47.98, thanks to a strong second 50; it was Bosch’s best swim of the season by over a second. He went on to an easy victory in the 200 fly, finishing in 1:44.62 ahead of teammate Evan White’s 1:46.43. Bosch again touched out White with a 1:47.82-1:49.35 victory in the 200 IM. Leading the Buckeyes’ charge in those three events were Matt McHugh (48.15), Ching Hwang Lim (1:47.74), and Tamas Gercsak (1:50.84), respectively.

Michigan senior Funk made the most of his last dual meet in Canham Natatorium with double victories in the 100 breast and 200 breast, going 53.15 and 1:59.38, respectively. DJ MacDonald of Ohio State was runner-up in both races (55.12 and 2:01.94).

Nielsen logged a pair of wins in the mid-distance freestyles, both with season-best times. He began with a 1:35.15 in the 200 free, beating teammate Justin Glanda by 1/100. Glanda, who had trailed Nielsen by .25 after the first 50, outsplit him on every 50 thereafter but came up just short in the end. Ohio State’s Michael Disalle (1:37.43) was third. Nielsen’s second win came in the 500 free, where he touched in 4:25.19 ahead of Ohio State’s Brayden Seal (4:27.85).

Seal provided a good deal of excitement at the start of the meet when he beat PJ Ransford by .44 to win the 1000 free. The two made every turn together, from the 200 wall to the 950, until Seal came home in 25.5, about .37 faster than Ransford, and won 9:05.46 to 9:05.90. It was Seal’s lifetime best and Ransford’s second-fastest swim.

Glanda came back from his narrow defeat in the 200 free to win the 100 free over Ohio State’s Josh Fleagle, 43.89 to 44.00. Fleagle had the stronger second half but Glanda was out too fast to catch. Wolverine teammates Bruno Ortiz (44.24) and Paul Powers (44.51) finished third and fourth. Powers went on to win the 50 free in 19.88; Ortiz was second in 20.11, while Fleagle came in third in 20.29.

Michigan’s final individual win came from Whitaker, who narrowly defeated the Buckeyes’ McHugh and Steven Zimmerman in the 100 back in a photo finish: the trio touched in 48.40-48.43-48.49, respectively. Zimmerman was on the other side of the photo finish when he won the 200 back, 1:45.97 to 1:46.06, over Michigan’s Tristan Sanders.

Ohio State dominated the boards, as Buckeyes made up the top three in both diving events. Shane Miszkiel won 3-meter diving with 376.95 points; teammates Stephen Ettienne (361.75) and Stephen Romanik (349.65) placed second and third, respectively. Romanik led the trio of Buckeyes at the top spots of the 1-meter event with 326.55 points. Clay White (309.75) was second, while Ettienne (307.75) took third.

Michigan won both relays. Whitaker (22.34), Ortiz (24.05), Jeremy Raisky (20.96), and Powers (19.70) combined for 1:27.05 in the 200 medley relay. Although Fleagle split a 19.38 on the end of Ohio State’s relay (which included Zimmerman, MacDonald, and McHugh in the first three positions), the Buckeyes fell short with 1:27.97. In the 400 free relay, Michigan’s Glanda (44.49), Powers (44.25), Nielsen (43.84) and Ortiz (43.28) went 2:55.86 for the win. Fleagle (44.58), DiSalle (44.15), McHugh (44.50), and Steffen Hillmer (44.21) were second in 2:57.44.