Dec. 4, 2009

Site: Ypsilanti, Mich. (Michael H. Jones Natatorium)
Event: EMU Winter Invitational (Day 1 of 2)
U-M Standing: 1st of Four Teams (361 points) After Day One
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Dec. 5 -- at EMU Winter Invitational - Day Two (Ypsilanti, Mich.), 10 a.m./6 p.m.

YPSILANTI, Mich. -- Thanks to a fast start and equally-fast finish, the No. 19th-ranked University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team leads after the first day (Friday, Dec. 4) of the Eastern Michigan Invitational, held at the Michael H. Jones Natatorium. The Wolverines won four of the day's six events, scoring 361 as a team to lead second-place Eastern Michigan by 63 points (298).

Michigan looked in command from the opening gun. Senior Emily Hanson (Bloomington, Ill./Normal Community) gave U-M a first-place finish in the meet's opening race, the 1,650-yard freestyle, making it her first win in that event this season. Her time of 16:40.53 was good enough to meet NCAA 'B' qualifying standards. Sophomores Kristyne Cole (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) and Megan Craig (Ann Arbor, Mich./Mercy) and freshman Kally Fayhee (North Aurora, Ill./Rosary) finished in sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively, earning a total of 36 points for the Wolverines.

The 200-yard butterfly was dominated by U-M seniors Margaret Kelly (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) and Courtney Beyer (Los Altos Hills, Calif./Los Altos) as both earned new season highs in the 200-yard butterfly and finished 1-2, with Kelly earning an NCAA 'B' mark. Senior Emily Christy (Schwenksville, Pa./Spring Ford Area Senior) and redshirt senior Lori Morton (Portage, Mich./Central) rounded out the Wolverine contingent, as the quartet combined to score 63 points and occupy four of the top seven places. The Wolverines ended the first day of competition in the 400-yard freestyle, once again taking the top two spots, with the foursome of Kelly, senior Leigh Cole (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer), sophomore Alexa Mehesan (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) and K. Cole taking home first place with a time of 3:25.67.

The Wolverines placed four swimmers in the top 11 during the 100-yard freestyle, led by a second-place finish from L. Cole, who narrowly missed out on first by a slim margin of seven one-hundredths of a second. Freshman Katherine Carl (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser) beat her previous career best (55.21) by nearly four seconds, clocking in at 51.76. Despite swimming exhibition, her time was the third-fastest in the event Friday.

Sophomore Liz Johnson (Milford, Mich./Milford) broke away down the stretch of the 200-yard backstroke to earn a first-place finish, with freshman Ashley Cohagen (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) coming in third. Freshman Julia Andracki (Arlington Heights, Ill./Prospect) had the lead down the stretch in the 200-yard breaststroke but could not hold off a late surge from Ana Pena Gonzalez of Wayne State and finished in second at 2:20.72.

Senior diver Stephanie O'Callaghan (Howell, Mich./Howell) secured top honors in the only diving event of the evening, scoring a 581.30 on the three-meter board. Fellow senior Caitlin Dunphy-Daly (Royal Oak, Mich./Rochester) came in fifth (524.80), while redshirt freshman Sarah Suprise (Portage, Mich./Hackett Catholic Central) came in 12th (404.05).

The Wolverines return to Jones Natatorium tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 5) for the conclusion of the EMU Invitational, in search of their seventh straight EMU Invitational title. Competition will begin at 10 a.m. and continue at 6 p.m.

Team Standings (After Day One)

 1. MICHIGAN          361
 2. Eastern Michigan  298
 3. Toledo            233
 4. Wayne State       210

Event Winners/U-M Finishers (Day One)

1,650-yard Freestyle
 1. Emily Hanson, U-M               16:40.53#
 6. Kally Fayhee, U-M               17:13.39
 7. Kristyne Cole, U-M              17:17.49
 8. Megan Craig, U-M                17:21.23

200-yard Backstroke
 1. Liz Johnson, U-M                 2:01.33
 3. Ashley Cohagen, U-M              2:03.01
10. Emily Brunemann, U-M             2:10.39
11. Emily Hanson, U-M                2:10.62

100-yard Freestyle
 1. Sarah Kowalski, Eastern Michigan   51.06
 2. Leigh Cole, U-M                    51.13
 4. Catherine Nosal, U-M               51.86
 6. Alexa Mehesan, U-M                 52.27
11. Katrin Vetter, U-M                 53.69
    Katherine Carl, U-M                51.76
    Liz Koselka, U-M                   52.77
    Mary Grace Godfrey, U-M            53.10
    Deirdre Jones, U-M                 53.34

200-yard Breaststroke
 1. Ana Pena Gonzalez, Wayne State   2:19.85
 2. Julia Andracki, U-M              2:20.72
 8. Val Barthelemy, U-M              2:25.83
    Emily Brunemann, U-M             2:23.05

200-yard Butterfly
 1. Margaret Kelly, U-M              1:59.19#
 2. Courtney Beyer, U-M              2:02.90
 5. Emily Christy, U-M               2:04.66
 7. Lori Morton, U-M                 2:06.37
    Linnea Johnson, U-M              2:05.47
    Keenan Koss, U-M                 2:06.24
    Emily Brunemann, U-M             2:06.35

400-yard Freestyle Relay
 1. MICHIGAN, 'A'                    3:25.67
   (Margaret Kelly, Leigh Cole,
    Alexa Mehesan, Kristyne Cole)
 2. MICHIGAN 'B'                     3:28.90
   (Liz Johnson, Liz Koselka,
    Mary Grace Godfrey, Catherine Nosal)
    MICHIGAN 'C'                     3:31.51
   (Katrin Vetter, Katherine Carl,
    Deirdre Jones, Kally Fayhee)
    MICHIGAN 'D'                     3:34.12
   (Linnea Johnson, Megan Craig,
    Emily Brunemann, Emily Hanson)

Three-Meter Diving
 1. Stephanie O'Callaghan (U-M)       581.30
 5. Caitlin Dunphy-Daly (U-M)         524.80
12. Sarah Suprise (U-M)               404.05


# NCAA 'B' qualifying standard

N O T E S

• Michigan has won the last six EMU Invitationals.

• Emily Brunemann did not swim the 1,650-yard freestyle, the event in which she won a national title back in 2008. Instead, she swam in the 200-yard backstroke, 200-yard breaststroke and 200-yard butterfly, all for the first time this season.

• Megan Craig swam the 1,650-yard freestyle for the first time since her sophomore year in high school. She finished in seventh place (17:17.49).

• The EMU Invitational is Michigan's last swimming event of the calendar year. They return to the pool Jan. 2, 2010, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for the Copa Coqui.

Q U O T E S

Michigan Head Coach Jim Richardson
On his team's performance Friday ... "Really solid. For the people who swam at Purdue, we wanted to see if they could swim between their fastest times of the season so far and what they swam at Purdue. That's been the majority of them. For the people who had more rest, we wanted to see them swim faster than they have all season and how close to lifetime bests they could come. We had a lot of real good swims out there. I am very pleased."

On the performance from some of the well-rested freshmen and upperclassmen ... "I think it shows that they have stayed true to their training. They haven't let the fact that they haven't competed take anything away from their preparation. Everyone says it's the will to win. It's not -- it's the will to prepare to win. That is the most important thing. They have passed that test with flying colors. We see day in and day out where people are and what they are capable of doing. It is nice to see them step up in somewhat of a pressure situation and do it then. We want these meets to be an accurate reflection of their training."

On whether his team was sluggish with their times following the two-week break ... "I would be disappointed if it were for any reason other than illness or fatigue from academic pressure, which is happening right now. I don't think we have the kind of people on this team that are fragile like that. You don't get points for how you feel or how you look. It can be ugly and fast, and that's okay at times like this. Learning how to get your hand on the wall when you feel good or you feel bad is a real important skill to develop in the pool."

U-M Senior Emily Hanson
On her first-place finish in the 1,650-yard freestyle ... "It feels really good. Bruno [Emily Brunemann] wasn't there and she always pushes me. Today gave me an opportunity to see where I was at. I've been training real well all season and gotten pretty consistent results. Definitely feels good to get a win."

On her relationship with Emily Brunemann ... "I think this past summer really helped mold our relationship. We spent a lot of time together training day in and day out. We are really close."

On how her senior year has been going ... "I am having an absolute blast. Our team is such a tight-knit group. There's still a lot left to the season, but I am having a lot of fun."

U-M Freshman Katherine Carl
On her 100-yard freestyle time ... "It was a great time for me. It was my fastest of the season and I'm very happy with that. Training is hard, but I'm definitely getting faster and stronger as the year progresses."

On her freshman season to this point ... "I love it here. The coaches are great, the rest of the girls on the team are awesome. It's a perfect fit for me."

U-M Senior Emily Brunemann
On swimming in three events for the first time this season ... "It was Stefanie's [Kerska] choice, actually. She wanted me to work on my strokes for the 400 IM and that was the whole reason for doing it. It was also to give me a little bit of a break from the mile (1,650). I know I was going to have to do a lot of events, but up until this afternoon, I didn't know which ones. I think I did okay. I am not a backstroker. It is my worst event, but I think I did alright in the other ones."

On not swimming the 1,650-yard freestyle ... "Also Stefanie's choice. If it were up to me, I probably would be out there because I love the mile. But it's nice to occasionally get a break."