Ohio State
Big Ten Swimming & Diving Championships **
Ohio State Extends Lead at Big Ten Championships
2/24/2021 10:39:40 PM | Women's Swim & Dive
Day 2 Results B1G Championships
Championship Central – Swimming
Championship Central – Diving
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A competitive afternoon in the water set the Ohio State women’s swimmers up for a potential successful evening and, wow, was that ever the case at the Big Ten championships, being held at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota. Ohio State swimmers qualified for more points races – 16 – and had more A heat finalists – 10 – than any other school with the result a significant Day 2 lead for the Buckeyes with 526 points. Michigan, which was tied with Ohio State after Day 1 with 118 points, is in second with 358.5 points and Indiana is in third with 310.5 points.
The huge amount of scorers, along with a win in the 400 medley relay, resulted in the Buckeyes scoring 113 points in the 200 individual medley, a whopping 160 points in the 50 free, another 81 in the 500 freestyle and then 64 in the 400 medley relay, their second relay win of the championships.
Buckeyes won two of the three individual races Wednesday – Kristen Romano the 200 individual medley and Sally Tafuto the 500 freestyle – and the 400 medley relay team was dominant in a fast field with a school record time of 3:29.39 with Northwestern second in 3:29.59 and Michigan third in 3:29.84. All three were NCAA A qualifying times.
200 individual medley
Seniors showed the way for Ohio State. Kristen Romano, in the final of this event for the second consecutive year, won the race with a fine time of 1:54.19 with Katie Trace and Hanna Gresser also in the A final and finishing sixth and eighth, respectively. Josephine Panitz won the B final in 1:58.46 with Sarah Turchanik finishing 12th.
50 freestyle
University of Michigan swimmers went one-two in the event for a second consecutive year, but Ohio State’s depth – five A finalists and two more in the B final – enabled the Buckeyes to actually outscore the Wolverines by 90 points, 150-60. Taylor Petrak topped her fifth-place finish in the 50 last year by taking fourth in 22.06. She was followed in the A final by Emily Crane, Katherine Zenick, Amy Fulmer and Freya Rayner in fifth-thru-eighth, respectively. Catherine Russo (10th) and Amanda Palutsis (16th) also scored for the Buckeyes.
500 freestyle
A terrific final 50 propelled junior Sally Tafuto to a win in the 500 free in a Top 10 time nationally of 4:39.58. Nicole Fye was 8th, freshman Maya Geringer 9th and Natalia Jaspeado was 18th to all score points and extend Ohio State’s Day 2 point total to 462 after the first five events.
400 medley relay
Ohio State’s team of Emily Crane, Hannah Bach, Katie Trace and Taylor Petrak broke the Ohio State school record by nearly a second to cap the evening with another Buckeye win in 3:29.39.
Diving gets underway Thursday at Purdue’s Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center. Finals will take place on the men’s 1-meter and the women’s 3-meter. Swimming championships will be contested in the 100 butterfly, 400 individual medley and 200 freestyle.
Big Ten Conference Championships
Women’s Swimming
February 23-27
Minneapolis, Minn. – Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center
Wednesday Results – Day 2
All Ohio State point scorers listed
200 individual medley – 1. Kristen Romano, 1:54.19; 6. Katie Trace, 1:57.27; 8. Hanna Gresser, 1:58.72; 9. Josephine Panitz, 1:58.46; 12. Sarah Turchanik, 1:59.32. (All times NCAA B provisional)
50 freestyle – 1. Margaret MacNeil (Michigan), 21.44; 4. Taylor Petrak, 22.06; 5. Emily Crane, 22.24; 6. Katherine Zenick, 22.25; 7. Amy Fulmer, 22.39; 8. Freya Rayner, 22.43; 10. Catherine Russo, 22.31; 14. Amanda Palutsis, 22.61. (All times NCAA B provisional)
500 freestyle – 1. Sally Tafuto, 4:39.58 B; 8. Nicole Fye, 4:51.45; 9. Maya Geringer, 4:44.74 B; 18. Natalia Jaspeado, 4:49.12.
400 medley relay – 1. Crane, Bach, Trace, Petrak, *3:29.39 “A”
*Ohio State school record
Team Scores
- Ohio State – 526
- Michigan – 358.5
- Indiana – 310.5
- Northwestern – 258
- Wisconsin – 237
- Nebraska – 184
- Iowa – 169
- Minnesota – 164
- Penn State – 149
- Purdue – 120
- Michigan State – 104
- Illinois – 96
- Rutgers – 30
