Michigan mourned the final meeting in a 50-year feud against their in-state rival, a program cut by its university in the wake of COVID-19’s financial turmoil.
Connor Earegood
Daily Sports Writer
Women's Swimming and Diving
Diving head-first into the season, the No. 9 women’s swimming and diving team (2-0) put critics’ questions to bed with a convincing double dual meet performance.
Outside the pool, Maggie MacNeil keeps a fairly low profile, not boasting her status as one of the world’s top swimmers. Other than her block ‘M’ backpack all the athletes wear, she could be any other student. On campus, no one really knows who MacNeil is. She likes it that way.
The No. 5 Michigan women’s swimming and diving team came into the Big Ten Championships as the prohibitive favorite. But something happened no swim team can prepare for — No. 19 Ohio State had the meet of its life to take the Big Ten title with 1503.5 points, as the Wolverines finished second with 1306.5 points in Iowa City this weekend.
Teams can be made up in many different ways. Some are led by stars; others are driven by their depth, getting contributions from many.
If his team’s performance against little-known foes including Wisconsin La Crosse, Florida International, and Colorado and Wagner Colleges, can function as such a barometer, the No. 5 Wolverines (3-0 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) appear ahead of schedule. Michigan did more than sweep every entered event; in only one did the Wolverines fail to place two swimmers in the three medal positions. They won the meet without the benefit of points from the men’s team, a boon which other squads could not capitalize on. The dominance occurred in literally unfamiliar waters — conditions including an outdoor, short-course pool — which are not NCAA regulation.
In a long-time rivalry meet, the No. 2 Michigan women’s swim & dive team (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) beat No. 15 Ohio State (5-4, 1-1 Big Ten), 196-104, Saturday to extend their undefeated record with just one regular season meet remaining before the Big Ten Championships, which the team has won the past three years.
In their final home meet against No. 22 Ohio State, Haughey swam in four events, and Bi swam in three. Haughey won all her events—the 100-yard freestyle, the 200-yard freestyle, the 200-yard individual medley and the 400-yard freestyle relay.
The second-ranked Wolverines survived, however, in one of their toughest tests on the season against No. 14 Indiana (2-3-1 overall, 0-1 Big Ten), 172-128. The distance swimmers for Michigan (6-0, 3-0) led the way—senior Yirong Bi won the 500 and 1000-yard freestyle races and placed in the top three in two more events.
Over the past two years, the Michigan women’s swimming and diving team has made a name for itself down in Athens, Ga.