Jan. 16, 2010
Results
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- No. 23 Northwestern looked on track for another of its patented come-from-behind victories, but No. 16 Michigan got wins in each of the final four events to defeat the Wildcats, 157.5-142.5, Saturday.
The loss drops NU to 7-3 on the dual-meet season.
The team of Meaghan Fenn (New Rochelle, N.Y./The Ursuline School), Kathleen Patterson (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley), Meghan Cavanaugh (Anchorage, Alaska/East Anchorage) and Teisha Lightbourne (Nassau, Bahamas/Peddie School (N.J.)) placed second in the 400 medley relay to begin the meet, swimming a 3:51.52. NU's 'A' relay was disqualified from the race.
Jenn Kocsis (Omaha, Neb./Marian) was NU's top finisher in the 1,000 free, garnering third place with a 10:16.48. Teammate Jacquie Godbe (Rapid City, S.D./Stevens) earned points in fourth with a 10:19.86.
Reigning Big Ten Swimmer of the Week Kassia Shishkoff (Raleigh, N.C./St. David's School) gave NU its first win with a season-best and NCAA `B' provisional qualifying standard of 1:48.84, outracing Michigan's Margaret Kelly to win by .04 of a second.
The Wolverines came back to capture the 100 back, with Katie Eschenburg (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead) coming in second as the Wildcats' top finisher with a season-best 57.47.
Jenny Wilson (Bethesda, Md./Sidwell Friends School) got Northwestern back on track with a 1:03.78 in the 100 breast to take first in the event. Patterson placed third for NU with a 1:04.57. The Wolverines followed up with a 1-2 sweep of the 200 fly. Cavanaugh took third to lead a 3-4-5 contingent of 'Cats in the race, followed by Hannah Points (Tualatin, Ore./Tualatin) in fourth and Meredith King (Louisville, Ky./duPont Manual) in fifth.
Emily Wong (Nepean, Ontario/St. Joseph's) won the 50 free in 23.34, out-touching Michigan's Natasha Moodie by .03 of a second. Lightbourne took third in 23.83 and Taylor Reynolds (St. Louis, Mo./Webster Groves) tied for fourth with a 23.86 to give the Wildcats some big points in the event.
During the meet's first break, divers Felicitas Lenz (Altadena, Calif./Polytechnic School) and Carlin Dacey (West Roxbury, Mass./Choate Rosemary Hall) went 2-3 on the 3-meter springboard, with Lenz scoring a season-best 308.18 and Dacey turning in a 284.70 to claim third by .3 of a point.
Wong won her second event of the meet with a 51.11 in the 100 free, then Genny Szymanski (Haines, Alaska/Haines) captured the 200 back in 2:01.93, nearly 3.5 seconds faster than her nearest Michigan competition. Fenn won third-place points with a 2:05.35.
Northwestern then surged into the lead in the meet with a 1-2-3 sweep of the 200 breast, led by Wilson's time of 2:19.74. Points was second with a 2:20.35 and Patterson third in 2:21.57.
Shishkoff and King went 2-3 for the Wildcats in the 500 free, with Shishkoff swimming a 4:55.68 and King turning in a 4:59.17. Michigan then won the 100 fly as well, but Cavanaugh, Rachel Rys (Goleta, Calif./Dos Pueblos), Eschenburg and Marybeth Hall (Brighton, Mich./Brighton) took the next four spots for the Wildcats in that order.
Lenz again was second on the 1-meter springboard, this time putting up a season-best score of 296.02.
The 200 IM was a carbon copy of the 100 fly with Michigan taking first and all Wildcats after that. Shishkoff was second with a 2:05.12, followed by Points, Godbe and Patterson.
After having its top relay DQ'ed in the day's first event, NU set up its lineup to attempt a 1-2 finish in the final relay -- a scenario which would win the meet for the Wildcats. Unfortunately, Michigan took the top spot leaving Northwestern in second and third. Wong, Lightbourne, Reynolds and Liza Engstrom (Reno, Nev./Robert McQueen) swam a 1:33.16 to take second for NU.
Northwestern returns to action at 11 a.m. CT Saturday, Jan. 23, against Iowa at the Norris Aquatics Center.