Vini Lanza and Ian Finnerty Finish Big Tens with Records

BIG TEN – MEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Wednesday, February 27 – Saturday, March 2
• University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA (Central Time Zone)
• Defending Champion: Indiana (1x) (results)
• Live results
• Live Video
• Championship Central

If 800 medley relays were a thing, then the Indiana Hoosiers would be strong contenders for a National Championship. After Indiana’s Zach Apple won the 200 free Big Ten title on Friday (1:32.68), the Hoosiers also added titles in the 200 back (Gabriel Fantoni – 1:39.53); 200 breast (Ian Finnerty – 1:50.30); and 200 fly (Vini Lanza – 1:39.28) to sweep away the 200 yard races at the Big Ten Championships.

The latter two of those titles came in new Big Ten Championship Records as well.

First up was Finnerty, whose time broke his own Big Ten Championship Record of 1:50.78 that was set at last year’s meet. Last season, he was able to drop that time to a 1:50.17 and win the NCAA title. His closing speed, which is the weakness in his 200, really came around in this race. His 29.31 closing split is over a second better than the 30.43 he clocked on the last 50 at NCAAs last year. That last 50 at NCAAs was the slowest of any A finalist at that meet.

Lanza followed in the next event with a 1:39.28 that broke his own Meet Record of 1:39.95, set at last year’s Big Ten Championships; and also took out the overall Big Ten Record of 1:39.33 done by Michigan’s Dylan Bosch in 2014. Lanza’s previous best time was a 1:39.75 at NCAAs last year.

Those 3 wins in the 200 yard races on Saturday for Indiana helped hammer-home an already locked-up Big Ten title for the 3rd-straight year. With 2 events left (platform diving, and the 400 free relay), Indiana has a DQ-proof 237-point lead over Michigan.