On a night to recognize the University of Minnesota’s seniors and induct four great alumni swimmers into the Minnesota Hall of Fame, it was the University of Wisconsin men who made the headlines by ending a twelve-year, winless skid against the host Gophers with a slim, seven-point win (153.5-146.5) in a dual meet at the Minnesota Aquatic Center in Minneapolis. The Lady Gophers continued their domination of their Big Ten conference rivals by defeating the Lady Badgers, 203-95.
On paper the Gophers went into the dual meet as the favorites, having defeated Wisconsin last year 220-150 with the bulk of the current roster’s 22 seniors in action. That is how it played out for the Lady Gophers, whose win is seven straight since 2008. The Wisconsin men’s win stopped a 12-year run of losses against their conference rivals, and bumped their all-time record to 42 wins to the Gophers’ 56 in duals that date back to 1922.
WISCONSIN MEN BATTLE TO FIRST WIN IN 12 YEARS
Not this time. The visiting Badgers weren’t going to lose. The Wisconsin men spoiled what could have been a perfect Seniors Night for the Golden Gophers by taking ten of the 14 swim events.
Leading the way for the spoilers was sophomore Brett Pinfold, Drew teDuits, Matt Huchins, and Nick Schafer, who all won two individual events. Pinfold won the 100-yard free (45.42) and 200-yard free (1:39.34). Senior teDuits claimed his in the 200-yard back (1:46.71) and in the 200-yard individual medley (1:50.18). Hutchins, the middle distance freestyler, took the 500-yard free (4:24.81) and 1,000-yard free (9:07.66) with a new personal best. Schafer took the 100-yard breaststroke (56.17) and the 200-yard breaststroke (2:02.17) titles.
Pinfold and seniors teDuits and Schafer factored into another win by teaming up with sophomore and Texan Harrison Tran to win the 400-yard medley relay (3:17.96). Nick Caldwell’s three-second win in the 200-yard fly (2:48.85) made it ten wins for Wisconsin.
“I think this is a huge win for us,” said Wisconsin head coach Whitney Hite in a story posted on the school’s website. “The men remain unbeaten on the season and we had a lot of stars tonight. We got some big performances by a lot of different guys and that’s what it takes.”
It also took some dig-deep performances from the ranks, such as Josh Anderson’s third-place finish in the 1,000-yard free (9:28.41), which was a personal best.
For Minnesota, Daryl Turner was a triple individual winner and part of the Golden Gophers’ 200-yard individual medley relay win (1:21.60). The versatile Turner took the 50-yard free (20.58), the 100-yard back (48.54), and the 100-yard fly (49.09).
The Minnesota divers, led by Matt Barnard, dominated the boards, taking first through sixth in the 1-meter event and first through fifth in the 3-meter event. The finishes were identical with the same guys finishing first through fifth, which produced a solid base of points to keep the Gophers close.
LADY GOPHERS WIN WITH COUNTRY-LEADING 400 IM MEDLEY TIME
The Golden Gophers made a statement when senior Tori Simenec, junior and CanadianKierra Smith, senior Becca Weiland and junior Lauren Votava posted the fastest 400-yard medley relay (3:40.88) time in the country this season. The win was a nearly a full six, stinging seconds faster than Wisconsin’s women, who placed second (3:46.07).
Driving the win home for Minnesota was triple individual winner and freshman Brooke Zeiger, who took the 100-yard back (56.37), the 200-yard back (1:01.48) and the 200-yard individual medley (2:01.78). The 18-year-old Ziegler did it in convincing fashion too, winning both of her 200-yard back and 200-yard individual medley races by three seconds over second place.
Kiera Janzen and Kierra Smith took their Kier(r)a-double act to the pool with two wins each. Janzen won the 500-yard free (4:50.54) and the 1000-yard free (9:52.90), while Smith won the 100-yard breast (1:01.48) and 200-yard breast (2:09.49). Smith, who placed sixth at the 2014 NCCA Championships in the 200-yard breast (2:06.76), won the 200-yard breast by nearly eight seconds over Wisconsin’s Anna Meinholz, who placed second to Smith in both breaststroke events Friday night.
Diver Jessica Ramberg finished first in the one-meter event ahead of teammates Lexi Tenenbaum and Yu Zhou. The trio repeated the result for the Lady Gophers on the three-meter board.
Wisconsin senior Ivy Martin won the only two events on the night for the Lady Badgers, and she nearly made it triple wins, but she placed second in the 100-yard fly (53.76). She lost out by 0.16 seconds to Weiland (53.60), who also nearly was a double winner but placed second in the 50-yard free (22.87).
It was Martin who won the 50-yard free (22.31), and later she added the 100-yard free (49.54) title by playing a game of catch-me-if-you-can with the Lady Gophers, who took the second, third and fourth positions behind her in the 50-yard and then had the same run of spots, plus fifth place in the 100-yard free. The sprinting depth for the Lady Gophers piled up the points, but the individual sprint honors went to Martin.
Martin, who is from Madison, Wis., showed why she won the 2014 Big Ten titles in the 50-yard free (21.68) and 100-yard free (47.78), and crowned a strong 2014 season with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships in the 50-yard free (21.79).
The Lady Golden Gophers are the reigning Big 10 Champions for three years straight. There are 11 senior women on the roster this year looking to make it four in a row. All eleven were elected to serve as the team’s Leadership Council by head coach, Kelly Kremer, who was recognized as Big Ten Coach of the Year earlier this year.
“There’s a reason this women’s senior class has won three straight…,” said Kremer in a story posted on the school’s website. “It’s more than putting points on the board. Their leadership has been top-notch.”
OLYMPIAN MASSURA AMONG HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
On a day when the Gophers and Badgers walked away with a split in the latest chapter of a storied conference rivalry, four former Minnesota greats were inducted into the Minnesota Hall of Fame. You don’t get to be a “hall-of-famer” without remarkable accomplishments. These four swimmers are no exception.
Alex Massura (Class of 2001) needs no introduction to many swim fans. The 6’3” Brazilian specialized in the freestyle and backstroke and retired as a six-time NCAA All-American, 11-time Big Ten Champion, two-time Big Ten Swimmer of the Year, two-time Olympian (1996 and 2000), and former World Record Holder, as part of the Brazilian national team’s 1998 4×100-meter relay team. Massura makes his home in Minneapolis.
Laura Herman Brooks (Class of 1993) enters the Hall as a seven-time All-American, six-time Big Ten Champion and a recipient of a Big Ten Medal of Honor.
Paul Domer’s (Class of 1998) induction is a testament to the hard work the former Gophers captain put in over his swimming career. Domer was an eight-time NCAA All-American, a Big Ten Champion, twice named Hardest Worker and also twice the Most Improved, and a recipient of a Big Ten Medal of Honor.
And of course, Jenny Shaughnessy Ferris (Class of 2009), who is not far removed from competition and college, is making a quick and deserving entry into the Hall of Fame. Ferris is a 12-time NCAA All-American, eight-time Big Ten Champion, and a recipient of a Big Ten Medal of Honor.
GOPHERS FACE NORTH DAKOTA NEXT WHILE BADGERS CLASH WITH CAL
The Gophers squad hosts North Dakota Oct. 24 (Friday) at the Minnesota Aquatic Center, while the Badgers are out of race action until Nov. 7, when they travel to Berkeley, CA to test themselves against the NCAA powerhouse, Golden Bears.
Gophers will have to pay attention to North Dakota, who are in action this weekend, hosting a two-day tri-meet with South Dakota, Air Force (men only) and Northern Colorado (women only) in Grand Forks, ND at the Hyslop Sports Center.
Freshman Martin Pozniak has been a standout for North Dakota this year. The Illinois native was named the Western Athletic Conference Men’s Swimmer of the Week for Oct. 6-12, which was his second straight week of taking the honor. Last week, Pozniak set a school record in his 100-yard fly win (50.55), and he had a hand in another while leading North Dakota to a 200-yard individual medley relay win (1:33.60). He also won the the 200-yard fly (1:54.02) and 200-yard individual medley (1:58.65), as North Dakota defeated South Dakota State in Brookings, SD.
The badgers have arrived!!!