For the Michigan Wolverines’ men’s class of 2015, losing is a foreign concept.
The current crop of seniors just wrapped up the program’s 4th consecutive undefeated dual meet season, meaning they’ll finish their careers with perfect 36-0 records in college duals, according to a count on the team’s website.
Included in that run are yearly wins over the Texas Longhorns and Big Ten rivals Indiana in the high-profile fall triangular, which expanded to a quad meet this fall with Louisville also in the mix.
A 178-106 win over Michigan State propels the Wolverines to a 10-0 record for the year, and it came in a 15-for-16 sweep of events.
The unique meet order featured all 5 relays, 50s and 200s of each non-free stroke, the 50 and 500 free and the 100 IM.
Maybe most notable individually was Justin Glanda, who smashed his season-best with a 4:24.53 win in the 500 free. Glanda was a huge part of the team’s U.S. Open record-setting 800 free relay from a year ago and one of just two legs returning from the squad.
Junior Dylan Bosch, the defending NCAA champ in the 200 fly, won that event with ease, going 1:46.83. He was the fastest in the field by about 7 seconds. That smashed a pool record that had stood for 18 years, originally set by Michigan great Tom Malchow.
If there was one word to describe Michigan in winning all 5 relays, it would be “consistency.” Take the sprint free relays, for example. All four Wolverines went 44s on the 400 free relay, highlighted by a 44.0 from Anders Nielsen and a 44.7 leadoff from Bruno Ortiz. The 200 free relay was the same story, with all four athletes going 20s. Ortiz and Nielsen pushed the 20-second barrier, each going 20.0, including a 20.07 leadoff leg from Ortiz.
The Wolverine 800 free relay managed to shatter a 28-year-old pool record in 6:32.59, getting a 1:36.01 leadoff leg from Nielsen that was yet another pool record.
Michigan State was able to steal the 200 breast, with junior Ian Rodriguez stepping out of his usual backstroke events to win in 2:03.41. That was a tight touchout of Michigan freshman Evan White, who went 2:03.79.
Winning twice was senior Richard Funk, who took the 50 breast (25.19) and 100 IM (51.21).
You can find full results here. The two squads will meet again at the Big Ten Championships in Iowa in three weeks. Before that, Michigan has it’s “first chance meet,” where it has traditionally put up some very fast times leading into the conference championships.
