Freshman Jack Wilkening’s Trio of Personal Bests Highlights Michigan First Chance Meet

2023 MICHIGAN FIRST CHANCE MEET

• Saturday-Sunday, February 11-12, 2023
• Canham Natatorium, Ann Arbor, MI
• SCY (25 yards)
• Results

Michigan hosted a first chance this weekend, featuring their swimmers, along with swimmers from Michigan-based Aquinas College (NAIA) and Olivet College (DIII).

Michigan freshman Jack Wilkening was one of the top performers at the meet, clocking new lifetime bests in three events. Wilkening swam the 50 free first, where he finished third with a 20.39. That time marked a new personal best for the 18-year-old by 0.37 seconds.

He then went on to swim the 100 back on Saturday evening, where he touched in 47.88, his first time under 48 seconds in the event. Wilkening would double down on that swim in a time trial on Sunday, taking his time down to 47.52.

Wilkening’s biggest swim of the weekend came in the 200 back, where he swam a 1:44.88, blowing away his previous best in the event by nearly three seconds.

Another Michigan freshman, Lucas Hodgson, clocked a pair of lifetime bests. Hodgson won the men’s 50 free, swimming a 19.80. That swim took 0.10 seconds off his personal best of 19.90, which he swam last February at the MA Easterns Championships. Then Hodgson, 18, swam a 44.07 in the 100 free, taking nearly half a second off his personal best of 44.45, which was also set last February.

Fellow freshman Ryan Hume swam a massive lifetime best in the 400 IM, finishing in 3:51.55. That time took six seconds off his previous best of 3:57.41. He came home fast, splitting 53.61 on the final 100.

Michigan star backstroker Wyatt Davis swam a season best 1:35.17 in the 200 free at this meet, marking the second-fastest 200 free by the Wolverines this season. Davis was out fast, splitting 45.27 on the opening 100, then came home in 49.90 on the back half.

Wolverine sophomore Connor Hunt established a new lifetime best in the 200 fly, swimming a 1:46.10. His previous best was a 1:47.87, which he swam at the Tennessee Invitational in November. Freshman teammate Bryce Halterman came in second in the 200 fly with a huge personal best of 1:48.19. Halterman took five seconds off his previous best of 1:53.39, which he swam in November of 2021. Halterman is more of a sprint flyer, having a personal best of 46.96 in the 100 fly.

Another Michigan freshman, Yousuf Al-Matrooshi, posted a trio of lifetime bests as well. A native of Dubai, Al-Matrooshi went 20.36 in the 50 free, 44.46 in the 100 free, and 1:38.32 in the 200 free, all three of which were personal bests.

Michigan only had a few women competing in the meet, but they still saw a handful of personal bests. Ella Jo Piersma swam a 53.29 in the 100 fly, taking 0.14 seconds off her best time in the event.

Malia Amuan, another freshman, had a big swim in the 50 free, clocking a 22.79. That swim marked Amuan’s first time under 23 seconds in the event, and her first drop in the event since December of 2021. Piersma also dipped under 23 seconds for the first time in her career, swimming a 22.95.

Both Amuan and Piersma clipped their personal bests in the 100 free as well. Amuan was the fastest, swimming a 49.42, which took 0.07 seconds off her best. Piersma touched right behind, swimming a 49.63, which was 0.23 seconds under her previous best.