The No. 18 Wisconsin men’s swimming and diving team (5-6 overall, 1-4 Big Ten) begins competition today at the Big Ten Championships in Minneapolis, Minn. The University of Minnesota, who will host the event for the sixth time at the University Aquatic Center, will try to win its fourth conference title in five years.
Seven Big Ten squads enter the meet ranked in the top 25 nationally. Michigan is the top-ranked team entering the championships at No. 5, followed by No. 6 Minnesota. While the Wolverines and Gophers enter as favorites to contend for the top two spots, No. 13 Indiana, No. 14 Northwestern, No. 15 Purdue and No. 24 Ohio State are all expected to battle with Wisconsin for a third-place finish.
In addition to fighting for the team title, Wisconsin has its sights set on qualifying more individuals for the NCAA Championships in March. So far, Wisconsin has qualified seniors Eric Wiesner, Tim Liebhold and Adam Mania. At the Big Ten Championships, the Badgers will look to add to that total with a strong showing in the relay events.
“Men’s Big Tens will be a good indication of what to look for at the NCAA Championships,” head coach Eric Hansen said. “We are hoping to qualify a couple of relays and increase our [NCAA] squad size to four, five or six.”
The Badgers are also relying on their seniors to lead the young squad to a high finish. Wiesner, Liebhold and Mania have had a tremendous impact on the program during their four-year careers. All three are hoping to use their performance to motivate the young squad to excellence.
“We are going into this championship relying on them more than I had hoped to, but it will be fun to watch them compete in their final Big Ten Championships and to get ready for NCAAs,” Hansen said. “They have set a level of excellence that I hope the younger guys can step up to.”
Leading the way for the Badgers is Mania. He leads Wisconsin in almost every event entering the championships. The senior standout will be in search of his first Big Ten title in the 200-yard individual medley and 100-yard backstroke.
Mania currently holds the top spot in the 200-yard IM. He also holds the No. 3 spots in the 100-yard breaststroke, 200-yard breaststroke and 100-yard back and is ranked No. 4 in the 200-yard freestyle and 200-yard back. At last year’s conference championships, Mania finished No. 6 in the 200-yard IM, No. 3 in the 100-yard back and No. 2 in the 200-yard back.
Liebhold is also in hunt for his first conference title in the 400-yard IM. He currently holds the second-fastest time in the Big Ten entering the championships in that event. Liebhold will also be competitive in the 200-yard back and 200-yard IM, where he is ranked No. 3 and No. 4, respectively.
Liebhold and Mania will face tough competition from Michigan’s Chris DeJong and Northwestern’s Matt Grevers. DeJong is a three-time event champion and Big Ten record-holder in the 200-yard back. Grevers was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year last year after winning three events and setting the Big Ten record in the 100-yard back.
Wiesner rounds out the impressive list of seniors for the Badgers. He enters the tournament hoping to contend for the conference title in the freestyle events. He is ranked No. 7 in the 50 free, No. 3 in the 100-yard free and No. 5 in the 200-yard free entering the championships.
Wiesner’s main focus is the 200-yard free, where he will face tough competition from Michigan and Minnesota swimmers. The 200-yard free features Olympic gold medalist Peter Vanderkaay and Big Ten champion Davis Tarwarter, both of Michigan. It also features 18-time All-American Terry Silkaitis and four-time national champion Justin Mortimer, both of Minnesota.
“I’m excited and looking forward to [seeing] everyone go off this weekend,” Wiesner said. “I think we are going to have a great meet. I’m also looking forward to swimming the 200 [free] against those guys from Michigan and several others.”
The Badgers will also be looking for much-needed points from their freshmen divers. Wisconsin is bringing three highly ranked divers to the championships, far more than in past years.
“Last year we did not have anyone to take in terms of diving,” head diving coach Josh Seykora said. “I think the three guys we have going are all capable of scoring. It’s going to be a good meet, I’m excited. Indiana, Ohio State and Purdue always provide good competition, but I think we can go in and surprise a few people. Competition level is up, but we are ready for it.”
The championships run through Saturday. Last year, the Badgers finished fifth for the fifth consecutive season. The finish was their sixth top-5 finish in the past six years.
The Badgers are not concerned with a top-5 finish in this year’s event, but they would like to see all swimmers compete to their full potential and ultimately qualify for the NCAA Championships.
“Our main goal is to qualify as many people for the NCAA Championships,” Hansen said. “We would also like all of our guys to finish with lifetime bests.”
