Taking runner-up honors and establishing a Big Ten-record nine event titles, the UW women’s swimming and diving team earned some respect in the Big Ten Conference Championships at Purdue last weekend.
It is the second runner-up finish at the conference meet in UW history and the best finish for the Badgers since taking second in 1996. Indiana, the 2002 runner-up, took the 2003 team title with 595 points, beating UW by 34.
“I’m really proud of our women and everything they accomplished,” head coach Eric Hansen said. “I don’t know how much more we could have done to make it a better meet. We really pulled off an amazing championship meet.”
The Badgers won four events Saturday night, opening the evening with three-straight. UW finished the four-day conference meet with nine titles: the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle, 1,650 freestyle, 200 backstroke, 200 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay and 800 freestyle relay. It was the second-straight year the Badgers swept the individual freestyle event titles.
In coaching his team to the nine titles, Hansen gained praise from his peers and was named Big Ten coach of the year.
“The award is something that is not necessarily just for me. It’s definitely a tribute to my staff,” Hansen said. “I know I have a great staff. We go hard year-round, and the right people are in place. I think that’s starting to show.”
Sophomore Carly Piper was named swimmer of the championship for the second-straight year and was tabbed swimmer of the year after successfully defending her titles in the 200, 500 and 1,650 freestyle events. Piper was also a member of the winning 400 and 800 freestyle relays. Piper now owns nine Big Ten titles, only trailing UW’s most decorated swimmer, Ellen Stonebraker, by one.
“Carly’s versatility is unmatched in the Big Ten, and she’s proven herself as one of the elite swimmers in the nation,” Hansen said. “Her swimming made a statement, and her versatility to go from the 100 (in the 400 freestyle relay) to the mile was critical for us to do what we did.”
Piper kicked off the last day of action with a win in the mile, touching in at 16:02.61, nearly 18 seconds ahead of her nearest challenger. The time is a NCAA ‘A’ cut, and it tops her own school record that she set earlier this season.
With two more titles on Saturday, senior Jenny Lyman matched Piper with five event championships. The Badger sprinter was victorious in the 100 freestyle (49.64) Saturday, adding to her 50 freestyle win. Lyman was also a member of the winning 200, 400 and 800 freestyle relays.
“I don’t want to overlook Jenny Lyman,” Hansen said. “She’s our utility player. All our seniors are versatile swimmers, and that’s why we’re the team we are, and that’s why we out-swam everybody in this meet.”
Freshman Sarah Hernandez continued the Badgers’ monopoly over the freestyle events, finishing just behind Lyman in the 100. Hernandez earned silver with her time of 50.15. Bethany Pendleton took second in the 100 freestyle consolation finals (50.71) and 10th overall.
With a firm grasp on the freestyle events, Wisconsin looked to senior Sarah McCauley to delve into different waters and she delivered with the 200 backstroke championship on Saturday. In a tight race and even tighter final 25 yards, McCauley touched first in 1:58.06, just ahead of Iowa’s Jennifer Skolaski (1:58.58) and Michigan’s Sarah Johnson (1:58.65). Betsy Hassebroek finished sixth in the 200 backstroke (1:59.81), while Molly Buhrandt took 14th (2:03.09).
McCauley returned to the freestyle regiment for the 400 relay, and the 100 freestyle school-record-holder anchored the event for the Badgers. Title winners Piper and Lyman, along with Hernandez, coming off her second-place 100 freestyle finish, joined McCauley for the day’s final event. The quartet combined for UW’s ninth title as Wisconsin closed the meet by winning the 400 free-relay championship. The Badgers finished the relay in a NCAA ‘A’ cut time of 3:18.42.
The Badger youth contributed points in the 200 breaststroke with freshman Amalia Sarnecki placing sixth in the event and classmate Anna Trinidad tapping in at 14th. Junior Emily Pisula touched the pad at 2:17.97 in the 200 breaststroke consolation finals, good for 11th.
On the tower, the divers performed extremely well in an event for which they cannot train at home. The weekly visits to Milwaukee during the season paid off for KC Bunnell, Megan Balkenbush, Amanda Witte and Cassie Kubly.
Bunnell finished 7 points away from advancing to the finals, placing ninth in the prelims with a score of 347.55. Balkenbush, who scored points in all three diving events this weekend, finished in 11th place. Freshman Amanda Witte finished four points short of scoring for the team, placing 19th with a score of 288.85.
The Badger divers compete next at the NCAA Zone C qualifying meet March 14-15, while the swimmers have a month off before traveling to Auburn, Ala. for the NCAA championships, March 20-22.
“Our focus is NCAAs,” Hansen said. “And we showed that our best is yet to come.”