The Big Ten looked very deep on the first day of competition. The 200 medley was not only a great race, but it demonstrated how deep this conference has become, despite the focus on their more southern and western competitors.
The meet got off to a bit of a perturbing start, as the first race was delayed by a ripped suit from an Ohio State swimmer. The referee allowed him to change before the meet was begun, which bothered some competitors who were ready to race. Still, that didn’t pull from the excitement in Iowa City.
200 Medley Relay
This was one of the most amazing race finishes I’ve ever seen. The top four teams were separated by only two tenths, with the top three even closer at only .04 between 1st and 3rd.
Ohio State had the lead headed into the final leg of the race, and junior Zachary Birnbrich closed in 19.59. Penn State was in 2nd after three swimmers, and got a 19.52 anchor from from senior Brian Alden. Michigan was in 3rd with only anchor Evan Gregg’s 19.33 to go. None of the three are big-time names, but they had gutsy, big-time finishes.
Ultimately, the finish order was the opposite of what it was headed into the final leg, with Michigan taking the win in 1:25.58. Penn State snuck in for 2nd in 1:25.61, with Ohio State in 3rd, just .01 back, in 1:25.62.
Even Indiana got in on the action at the very end. Relatively unknown freestyler Daniel Kanorr had the best anchor with a 19.01 to pull the Hoosiers close, with a touching finish in 1:25.79.
There were awesome splits throughout this race. Michigan junior Miguel Ortiz split a 21.47 on their backstroke leadoff. Ohio State’s Jason Schnur split a 20.22 on the fly leg as well, which will hold up as one of the best in the country in March (helping make Ohio State fans forget about Tim Phillips’ redshirt).
Indiana actually had easily the best relay aside from the butterfly leg, where freshman Stephen Schmuhl lost big ground. He’s not a butterflier by trade, but given his size (he’s 6’7) he’s still the best option for this 200 medley relay.
Also take note that Purdue’s relay, that placed 9th (or 2nd-to-last), had one sparkling leg from breaststroker Albert Miller in 23.85. He’s going to be a player in the individual 100 breaststroke.
800 Free Relay
After the excitement of the medley, the 800 free relay final was a bit dull by comparison. The Wolverines needed no late-race heroics from Kyle Whitaker this year on their way to a 6:16.26. That’s easily the best swim in the country this year, and included a surprising swimmer as the fastest split: sophomore Michael Wynalda in 1:33.0. That bested big names like Daniel Madwed, Connor Jaeger, and Kyle Whitaker, who all went 1:34 low-to-mid.
This time approaches the Michigan, and Big Ten, records set in 2010. When looking at the names on that relay (Madwed, Andre Schultz, Tyler Clary, and Charlie Houchin) that’s pretty elite company to be in. Those four are all international-level swimmers who could make appearances in London this summer.
Ohio State took 2nd in 6:24.39 (their best was a 1:35.26 from junior Zach Holmes).
As Minnesota’s sprint relays were hurt badly by graduations and other losses, their 800 has seen a lot of improvement. They took 3rd in 6:25.60, which is three seconds faster than they were last year.
Standings
1. Michigan 80
2. Ohio State 66
3. Indiana 60
4. Minnesota 54
4. Wisconsin 54
6. Penn State 52
7. Northwestern 50
8. Iowa 48
9. Purdue 32
10. Michigan State 26
