Ohio State
Big Ten Swimming & Diving Championships **
Ohio State Wins Big Ten Conference Championship
2/27/2021 11:02:53 PM | Women's Swim & Dive
2021 W S&D Championship Results
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women’s swimming and diving team capped a truly dominant week in the water by winning its second consecutive Big Ten Conference championship Saturday evening at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota.
Ohio State and Michigan were tied after the opening night on Tuesday, but the Buckeyes surged ahead for good on Day 2 and won the championship with a total of 1,584 points. Michigan was second with 1,326.5 points and the rest of the Top 5 was Indiana, Northwestern and Wisconsin with 1,066.5, 992 and 749.5 points, respectively.
2nd (x2) in B1G championships
Director of swimming and diving Bill Dorenkott has now guided a team to a Big Ten championship for the fifth time, twice now at Ohio State (2020 and 2021) and three times at Penn State ( 2002, 2005 and 2006). The championship moves Ohio State into a tie for second in the Big Ten all-time with seven women’s championships and it also moves Dorenkott into a tie for second among women’s coaches with five Big Ten titles.
Ohio State went into Saturday with a 199 point lead and then grew it throughout the evening. The Buckeyes didn’t pick up any more wins – they had seven, including three relays, coming into the night – but the evening was electric regardless. Think of the final stage of the Tour de France along the Champs-Élysées: it’s a showcase for the overall winner of the event and, tonight, that overall winner was Ohio State.
The Buckeyes opened the evening with three finalists in the 100 free with Taylor Petrak, Amy Fulmer and Katherine Zenick finishing fourth, sixth and seventh, respectively. Freya Rayner and Emily Crane scored in the B final with 10th and 12th-place efforts.
Sally Tafuto and Maya Geringer finished fourth and fifth in the timed finals of the 1,650 freestyle with Natalia Jaspeado – 18th – and Nicole Fye (20th) also scoring.
Kristen Romano, already a two-time individual champion at this meet (200 and 400 IM), was second in the 200 backstroke in 1:53.18. Kyra Sommerstad was 12th, Tristan Harrison was 15th and Morgan Kraus placed 18th in support of Romano’s runner-up spot.
Four more swimmers scored in the 200 breaststroke, with Hanna Bach (sixth in 2:10.98) and Hanna Gresser (seventh) in the A final and Janessa Mathews (ninth) and Josephine Panitz (12th) making the B final.
Right around this time the 1-meter diving scores came in from Purdue University. Mackenzie Crawford led four points scorers for the Buckeyes with a sixth-place finish with Jackie Brenn eighth and Lexie Barker 12th. All three reached NCAA A qualifying totals with their efforts. Ciara McGing finished 20th.
Ohio State capped its championship meet with a second-place performance in the 400 freestyle relay in school record time of 3:12.90. The team consisted of Petrak, Fulmer, Zenick and Romano.
First-Team All-Big Ten Conference
Ohio State led the way with nine first-team All-Big Ten Conference performers: Amy Fulmer, Emily Crane, Freya Rayner, Hannah Bach, Katherine Zenick, Katie Trace, Kristen Romano, Taylor Petrak and Sally Tafuto.
Big Ten Conference Championships
Women’s Swimming & Diving
February 23-27
Minneapolis, Minn. – Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center
West Lafayette, Ind. – Morgan Burke Aquatic Center
2021 Ohio State Big Ten Champions
Hannah Bach – 200 Medley Relay, 400 Medley Relay, 100 Breaststroke
Emily Crane – 200 Medley Relay, 400 Medley Relay, 200 Free Relay
Amy Fulmer – 200 Free Relay
Taylor Petrak – 400 Medley Relay, 200 Free Relay
Freya Rayner – 200 Medley Relay
Kristen Romano – 200 IM, 400 IM
Katie Trace – 400 Medley Relay
Sally Tafuto – 500 Free
Katherine Zenick – 200 Medley Relay, 200 Free Relay
Saturday Results
All Ohio State point scorers listed
100 freestyle – 1. Margaret MacNeil (UM), 47.36 B; 4. Taylor Petrick, 47.99 B; 7. Amy Fulmer, 48.69 B; 8. Katherine Zenick, 48.74; B; 10. Freya Rayner, 49.16 B; 12. Emily Crane, 49.51 B.
1,650 freestyle – 1. Kaitlynn Sims (UM), 15:59.70 B; 4. Sally Tafuto, 16:08.40 B; 5. Maya Geringer, 16:13.58 B; 18. Natalia Jaspeado, 16:35.96; 20. Nicole Fye, 16:36.17.
200 backstroke – 1. Phoebe Bacon (UW), 1:50.90; 2. Kristen Romano, 1:53.18 B; 12. Kyra Sommerstad, 1:56.52 B; 15. Tristan Harrison, 1:57.24; 18. Morgan Kraus, 1:57.13.
200 breaststroke – 1. Emily Weiss (IU), 2:07.20; 6. Hannah Bach, 2:10.98 B; 7. Hanna Gresser, 2:11.08 B; 9. Janessa Mathews, 2:11.50 B; 12. Josephine Panitz, 2:12.29 B.
1-meter – 1. Abigail Knapton (NEB), 339.15 A; 6. Mackenzie Crawford, 306.55 A; 8. Jackie Brenn, 303.95 A; 12. Lexie Barker, 286.65 A; 20. Ciara McGing, 261.55.
400 freestyle relay – 1. UM, 3:1.61 A; 2. Ohio State (Petrak, Fulmer, Zenick, Romano), *3:12.90 A.
*Ohio State school record
Final Team Standings
- Ohio State – 1,584
- Michigan – 1,326.5
- Indiana – 1,066.5
- Northwestern – 992
- Wisconsin – 749.5
- Minnesota – 555
- Nebraska – 542.5
- Iowa – 424
- Purdue – 414
- Penn State – 410
- Michigan State – 217
- Illinois – 177
- Rutgers – 60
