Bowen Becker: “I’ve Just Been Able to Flourish Here” (Video)

2018 MEN’S B1G CHAMPIONSHIPS

Minnesota’s Bowen Becker has been on fire all season, and the heightened competition of this week’s 2018 Big Ten Championships has only stoked the flames.

Becker, a junior, obliterated his own school record in the 50 yard freestyle in prelims Thursday, clocking a blistering 18.69 to take a 35/100ths lead over Michigan’s Paul Powers, the 2017 Big Ten champion and (former) Big Ten record holder in the 50 free. Becker was a little off his prelims time Thursday night, but he still got his hand on the wall first, touching in 18.93, while Powers took silver in 19.04, equaling his prelims time.

To finish off Thursday night’s session, Becker blasted a 41.33 as the freestyle leg on Minnesota’s runner-up 400 medley relay. The only swimmer in the field to out-split Becker in the freestyle was Indiana’s Blake Pieroni, who slammed a 41.11 to bring the Hoosiers to victory.

Wednesday night Becker threw down an 18.24-second split to help Minnesota get to the wall ahead of Michigan and nab silver in the 200 medley relay behind Indiana. Becker’s performance so far has been incredible, no doubt, but not unexpected for those who have followed Gopher swimming this season.

Becker will open tonight’s session in the ‘C’ Final of the 100 butterfly after clocking a personal best of 47.20 in prelims, and later finish the evening as part of Minnesota’s 200 freestyle relay.

 

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About Reid Carlson

Reid Carlson

Reid Carlson originally hails from Clay Center, Kansas, where he began swimming at age six.  At age 14 he began swimming club year-round and later with his high school team, making state all four years.  He was fortunate enough to draw the attention of Kalamazoo College where he went on to …

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