Brendan Burns Chooses 100 Back over 100 Fly on Day 3 of Big Tens

2022 MEN’S B1G SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• February 23-26, 2022
• Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center, West Lafayette, IN
• SCY (25 yards)
• Prelims at 10AM Eastern, Finals at 5:30PM Eastern
• Defending Champions: Michigan (2x)
• Championship Central
• Live Results
• Live Stream: DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3  |  DAY 4
• B1G Men’s Record Book
• 2021 Men’s B1G Champs Results
• Friday Prelims Heat Sheet
• Friday Prelims Timeline

Correction: Brendan Burns will swim the 100 back, not the 100 fly.

Day 3 of the Big Ten Championships saw a lot of opportunities for doubles. The 400 IM/200 free and 100 fly/100 back are the most common conflicts, but only a handful of top seeds have taken on both races.

The 100 breast, which doesn’t have as many conflicts, also falls on Friday.

Indiana junior Brendan Burns has opted for the 100 back over the 100 fly – the opposite choice he made at last year’s Big Ten Championships when he finished 2nd in the 100 fly. He is the #2-ranked swimmer in the conference in both races in the Big Ten this season.

Not swimming the 100 fly means that he’s lined up for the 200 fly/200 back double once again. He handled that masterfully at last year’s championship meet, winning both races in the same session. He enters this year’s Big Tens with the best time in the conference in both events, but will face a big challenge from Michigan freshman Gal Cohen in the 200 fly especially.

Cohen is the top seed in the 100 fly on Friday, and a win for either swimmer could build momentum toward that 200 fly.

Indiana 5th year Gabriel Fantoni will, however, take on the fly/back double on Friday. He is the 3rd seed in the 100 fly and the 2nd seed in the 100 back. The #2 seed in the 100 fly, Brady Samuels, has opted out of the 100 back, where he ranks 7th in the 100 back so far this season.

Other Double Choices:

• Indiana senior Mikey Calvillo has chosen the 200 free (20th seed) over the 400 IM (4th in the conference this season). He’s not on Indiana’s scoring roster for the meet, so it is a little moot from a finals and scoring perspective, but he usually swims the 400 IM – including at last year’s Big Tens and at the mid-season Ohio State Invite.
• Calvillo is one of a number of A-final caliber swimmers who either aren’t racing at this meet or who aren’t on their teams’ scoring rosters. Besides him, Nathan Holty of Ohio State (#7 in the conference), Michael Cooper of Ohio State (#9 in the conference), and Owen Conley of Ohio State (#11 in the conference) are not racing at all on Friday.
• Purdue freshman Brady Samuels has chosen the 100 fly (#3 in the conference this year) over the 100 back (#7 in the conference this year), though scratches would have improved his position in the 100 back.
• Purdue senior Nick Sherman chose the 200 free (#8 in the conference) over the 100 back (#13 in the conference). Once again, he would have moved up several spots in the 100 back seeding because of other scratches.
• The Big Ten’s 8th-best swimmer in the 100 breast, Ian Mikesell, is absent from that event, meaning he likely won’t race this week for the Buckeyes.

Team Scores After Day 2:

1. Ohio State, 487.5
2. Indiana, 449
3. Michigan, 408
4. Purdue, 288.5
5. Wisconsin, 278
6. Northwestern, 236
7. Penn State, 230
8. Minnesota, 179