The No. 6 Michigan men’s swimming and diving team has traditionally seemed like two teams, with two very different levels of success.

On the one hand, the swimming program is among the most storied in the NCAA, having won 146 NCAA individual championships and produced countless Olympians.

But the diving program has always been somewhat of a weakness for the Wolverines, fighting a perennial battle for respect in comparison to the glittering success of the school’s swimmers.

“Michigan diving (has always been) the underdog,” Michigan coach KZ Li said.

This weekend, just the Michigan divers traveled to the Purdue Invitational in West Lafayette, an individual event, giving them a chance to escape from the shadow of their swimmer teammates. And they performed well, as seven Wolverines finished in the top eight of their respective events.

Sophomore Kasey Allen, who is expected to be one of the leaders of this young team this season, had the best weekend of any Michigan diver, finishing fourth in the platform competition and sixth in the one-meter springboard.

Junior Chris Morrison placed fifth in the platform and eighth in the one-meter springboard, just behind Allen in both events.

In one of the first events of his career, freshman Jack Lee was the only Wolverine to make the finals of the three-meter springboard, finishing seventh. Lee and fellow freshman Chris Fraga also finished sixth and eighth, respectively, in the platform, making it the Wolverines' strongest event overall.

This is expected to be a rebuilding year for the diving team, even by its own standards. Six of the team’s eight members are freshmen, and Morrison is the team’s only upperclassman. It is also Li’s first season as the team’s coach. He has great experience in the world of diving and was hired with the expectation of drastically improving the team’s fortunes, both short-term and long-term.

“I’ve never faced a situation like this, or even heard of one anywhere in the country, where (three-quarters of the) team is freshmen,” Li said. “It’s a huge challenge, but it also means this team has a lot of room to grow. I wouldn’t have come here if I wasn’t ready to embrace the challenge this job presents.”