Over the weekend, the Michigan men’s swimming and diving team swam in a dual meet against the No. 8 University of Florida with one thing in mind: Revenge.
Last year, the Gators (0-2) came to Ann Arbor and handed the Wolverines their first season-opening dual meet loss in 38 years. On Saturday, No. 12 Michigan (2-0) struck back with a 326- 272 victory for its first away meet of the season in Gainesville, Fla.
The Wolverines took an early 95-66 lead in the two-day meet Friday by earning the top times in three of the five long-course meter events and winning the one-meter diving event.
When the meet was completed Saturday, Michigan had earned the top time or score in 13 of 19 overall events, including both the one- and three-meter diving events.
Junior Bobby Savulich had six first-place finishes as a member of four relays and the individual winner of the 100- and 200-meter freestyles to help carry Michigan to its second victory of the season after beating Eastern Michigan at home Oct. 12.
Five Wolverine swimmers highlighted the dual meet by earning four NCAA consideration times during the meet. Junior Matt Patton (3:58.65) and freshman Tyler Clary (4:01.37) earned individual considerations in the 400-meter freestyle. The 400-meter medley relay team of Clary, sophomores Scott Spann and Chris Brady and Savulich also earned a consideration time with their first-place finish of 3:50.36.
Clary (4:28.92) placed first in the 400-meter individual medley, swimming for his third NCAA consideration time while senior Alex Vanderkaay (4:34.33), who was the 2007 NCAA National Champion in that same event, finished 5.41 seconds later for in third.
One of the closest races of the meet was Vanderkaay’s second-place finish to Florida senior James Walsh in the 200-meter butterfly. Walsh won with a time of 2:05.49, and Vanderkaay finished just 0.24 of a second behind him at 2:05.73.
Michigan diver, junior Kyle Schroeder, who was last week’s Big Ten Conference Diver of the Week, won the one- and three-meter springboards, with scores of 287.17 and 309.98, respectively.
The Wolverines will have two weeks off before they head to Bloomington for two more dual meets against Indiana and Texas on Nov. 2 and 3.