Michigan State University
Purdue/Michigan
Spartans Edged by Boilermakers, Fall to Wolverines
10/2/2015 12:00:00 AM | Swimming and Diving
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State swimming & diving teams opened their 2015-16 season against Michigan and Purdue at the Charles McCaffree Pool on Friday night. The Spartans dropped both duals in the men and women's competitions.
"The weather was a bit colder than I expected, but overall it was a good event," said head coach Matt Gianiodis. "I thought we raced pretty hard, and both Michigan and Purdue are really good teams. We started the meet really well, but then we just ran out of gas on the men's side. The women were pretty consistent throughout."
The MSU men's team started the meet off with a strong performance in the 400 medley relay. The team of senior Ian Rodriguez, junior Alec Kandt, and sophomores Alex Trompke and Nick Leshok took second out of the eight teams with a time of 3:59.16, defeating Purdue's top squad.
Sophomore Joe Szczupakiewicz continued the Spartans' momentum into the 800 free, where he took third behind a pair of Wolverines with an effort of 8:54.99. In the next race, the 200 free, MSU had four swimmers finish consecutively in junior Adam Marsh, Leshok, sophomore Lachie McLeish and junior Adam Henley, clocking a 2:01.61, 2:02.28, 2:03.19 and 2:06.21, respectively.
Junior Alec Kandt tallied some crucial points for the Green and White in the 100 meter breaststroke, taking third with a time of 1:06.95. Sophomores Evan Holzgen and Tal Hanani clocked a 1:11.42 and 1:11.73, respectively.
"I think it was pretty good," said Kandt. "I felt like I had a couple of really good swims. The guys performed really well with how early it is this year and how cold is. With it being so close, it is good motivation to get ready for Iowa, and for us to get pumped up and ready to swim."
Sophomore Mitch Strahlman recorded another high finish for the Spartans right before the midway point through the meet. Strahlman's 2:10.16 in the 200 butterfly was good for third place, as sophomore Alex Duffy took ninth with a time of 2:16.63.
Midway through the contest, Michigan State trailed Michigan 85-26, but led the Boilermakers, 61-50.
Junior Sam Hiller had a strong effort over the final part of the meet, racing to a third-place finish in the 200 back with a time of 2:14.33. Rodriguez took sixth in the event, clocking a 2:17.91. Sophomore Connor Lamb helped the team total with a third-place effort of his own, tapping the wall in 2:16.23 in the 200 IM. Strahlman and Hanani also turned in strong performances, clocking a 2:20.67 and 2:20.87, respectively.
The Spartans finished the day in the 400 free relay, with the top MSU team taking third behind the A squads from Michigan and Purdue, with a mark of 3:40.26. After all the results were final, MSU fell to the Wolverines, 148-87, and to Purdue, 128-114.
On the women's side, the 400-meter medley team kicked off the meet with a fifth-place performance, clocking a 4:50.00. Senior Chelsea Abbott then led the Spartans with a 9:36.82 in the 800 free. Sophomore Rebecca Hannon followed with a time of 9:50.51.
Freshman Courtney Aycock opened her Spartan career with a 2:10.84 in the 200 free, pacing MSU in the event. Sophomores Haley Kornburger and Beatrix Panitz turned in a 2:14.73 and 2:14.87, respectively.
Senior Elizabeth Brown had the Spartans' best finish of the day, claiming second with a time of 2:24.63 in the 200 butterfly. Brown's race brought the meet to its midway point, where MSU found itself trailing Michigan, 87-24, and Purdue, 84-27.
"I thought it went pretty well considering how cold it is outside and how early it is in the season," said Brown. "We are really proud of how hard everyone competed. I love long course, so this was great for me."
Aycock continued to impress in her debut, taking third in the 100 free, tapping the wall with a 1:00.44. Junior Sarah Love regained some of the Spartans' momentum in the 100 butterfly with a fourth-place effort, clocking a time of 1:06.46. Aycock and Brown finished the 100 fly with times of 1:07.61 and 1:07.79, respectively.
Brown's day concluded with the 200 IM, where she showed her versatility taking second in the multi-discipline event. She finished the race in 2:29.01.
MSU's top 400 free relay team took third, posting a time of 4:10.60 to round out the competition. Michigan State dropped both duals, 156-80 to Michigan and 176-66 to Purdue.
The Spartans return to the pool on Oct. 15 at Iowa, where the Green and White will take on the Hawkeyes and Northern Iowa.
Players Mentioned
