minnesota Athletic Communications Contact Maddy Olson C: 763.370-3730 olso6441@umn.edu GOLDEN GOPHER SWIMMING & DIVING UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS 244 Bierman Field Athletic Building, 516 15th Avenue SE, Minneapolis, Minn. 55455 2015 Big Ten Women s Swimming & Diving Championships February 18-21, 2015 University Aquatic Center Columbus, Ohio Daily Schedule Prelims: 11:00 a.m. EST Diving: 1:00 p.m. EST Finals: 6:30 p.m. EST Quick Facts University Information Location: Minneapolis, Minn. Founded: 1851 Enrollment: 48,308 Nickname:Golden Gophers Colors: Maroon and Gold Conference: Big Ten University President: Eric W. Kaler Director of Athletics: Norwood Teague Home Facility (capacity): Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center (2,500) Coaching Staff Men s and Women s Head Coach: Kelly Kremer (Drury, 92) Sr. Associate Head Coach: Terry Ganley (Minnesota, 77) Diving Coach: Wenbo Chen (Beijing Sports University, 87) Assistant Coach: Steve Miller (Minnesota, 09) Assistant Coach: Ryan Purdy (Minnesota-Duluth, 05) Assistant Coach: Gideon Louw (Auburn, 11) Team Information -15 Dual Record: 8-1, 4-0 B1G Big Ten Championships: 1st place National Championships: 10th place Social Media Website: gophersports.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gopherswimanddive Twitter: @GopherSwimDive Instagram: http://instagram.com/gopherswimdive History Big Ten Championships: 6 (1999, 2000, 2008,,, ) Top NCAA Finish: 9th (), 10th (), 10th () Head coach Kelly Kremer and the Golden Gophers will head to Ohio State as they look to win their fourth-straight Big Ten Championship. Competition will begin Wednesday night on Feb. 18 at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion and will run through Saturday, Feb. 21. A CHANCE AT HISTORY No Gopher women s athletic program has won four-straight conference titles, with Gopher men s tennis program being the last to win four in a row (1992, `93, `94, `95) for the University of Minnesota. CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE The Minnesota women made it a three-peat when they tallied 760 points over second-place Indiana (649 points) at the Big Ten Women s Swimming & Diving Championship to claim their third-straight crown. Maggie Keefer split the Diver of the Championships title with Purdue s Casey Matthews, while Kelly Kremer was named Swimming Coach of the Year for the fourth time. IN THE RANKS The Golden Gophers are currenlty ranked No. 14 in the latest College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) poll. They hold the highest ranking among Big Ten teams as of Feb. 16, 2015. SENIOR STARS Ten talented seniors are hungry to add a fourth and final conference championship ring to their collection this weekend. Due to their varied skills, head coach Kelly Kremer labeled the the class a leadership council for the team early in the season. There s a reason this women s senior class has won three-straight B1G Championships, Kremer said. It s more than putting points on the board - their leadership has been top-notch. Seniors Kiera Janzen, Jessica Plant and Tori Simenec were selected for the First Team All-Big Ten last year. While Rebecca Weiland and Blake Zeiger were named to the Second Team All-Big Ten. Janzen is a six-time All-American and currently holds this season s top-times in the 1650 freestyle for Minnesota. At the Big Ten Championships, Janzen helped the Gophers earn Big Ten gold in the 800 freestyle relay. She also placed fifth in the 200 free, fourth in the 500 free and ninth in the 1650. Plant is a four-time All-American and is a very versatile freestyle swimmer. At the Big Ten Championships she placed 12th in the 500 freestyle, second in the 200 freestyle, and 15th in the 100 freestyle, and also earned a first place finish and a new school record in the 800 freestyle relay with 7:00.04.
Simenec currently holds the Gophers top-season times in the 100 backstroke, 200 freestyle and 200 IM. At the B1G Championships she placed 4th in the 100 fly, 12th in the 200 fly, 6th in the 200 IM, and 1st in the 800 free relay. Simenec is most eager for back-to-back races in the 100 butterfly and 200 freestyle this Friday, and is very excited for the challenge. Last year at NCAAs, Weiland broke the Minnesota school record in the 50 freestyle with a 22.13. She currently holds the team s top times in the 50 freestyle and 100 fly for the season. At the Big Ten Championships, Weiland finished 3rd in the 200 Medley Relay, 2nd in the 200 Free Relay, 2nd in the 50 Free, 3rd in the 400 Medley Relay, 3rd in the 100 Fly, 5th in the 100 Free, 2nd in the 400 Free Relay. Zeiger placed 2nd in the 200 free relay, 2nd in the 400 free relay, 11th in the 100 free, placed 13th in the 100 fly, and placed 7th in the 50 free at the Big Ten Conference Championships. In her senior season, Blake has been joined by younger sister Brooke Zeiger, who will lead the freshman squad at the Big Ten Championships. Katy Etterman is the lone senior diver that will compete for Minnesota. Etterman placed ninth on the platform, fifth on the three-meter and 19th on the one-meter. Minnesota seniors Heidi Busack, Christie Clarke, Chloe Portela and Devin Ste. Marie will also compete at the Big Ten Championships. JUNIORS BACK AT IT Although much smaller than the senior class, the junior Gophers will play an integral part to this weekend s Championships. Kierra Smith posted a 2:05.12 in the 200 breaststroke at the Arena Grand Prix in Minneapolis, taking down the Minnesota record in the event, and posting the top time in the nation. Smith led The Gophers as the top point scorer for the University of Minnesota (55 points) at the Big Ten Championships after sweeping the 100 and 200 breaststroke titles. She will be redshirting next season to fully prepare for the 2016 Olympics for Canada and will return for her senior season in 2016-17 and is looking to accomplish great things with the rest of the season. Teammate Lauren Votava has proven to be a versatile swimmer in sprint to middle-distance freestyle events. She was named to the First Team All-Big Ten and was a key athlete for the Gophers in their NCAA Championships relay events. Samantha Harding had a breakout season last year picking up two silver finishes in the 500 and 1650 freestyle at the Big Ten Championships. Apart from All-American Maggie Keefer, Jessica Ramberg was the only other diver to represent the Gophers at the NCAA Championships. This season, Ramberg was named Big Ten Diver of the Week after her performance at the Jean Freeman Invite. SECOND YEAR SQUAD In her freshman season, Breanne Siwicki was the sole rookie to compete for Minnesota at the NCAA Championships. At Big Tens, she placed 3rd in the 1650 free, placed 5th in the 400 IM, and placed 13th in the 200 IM. In her first season as a Golden Gopher, sophomore Yu Zhou has already been named Big Ten Diver of the Week three times, most recently on Feb. 10. She will add great depth to the Gophers as they take on the one-meter, three-meter and platform events this weekend. Maddie Hoch, Ellen Bloom, Katelyn Holmquist, Abigail Raatz, Alli Schumacher and Lexi Tenenbaum represent the other Gopher sophomores that will compete this week. FRESH TALENT Two freshmen on the Minnesota squad have claimed conference accolades in their rookie season. Brooke Zeiger will join sister Blake Zeiger at the championships, Brooke was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week twice, after the Wisconsin dual and Arena Grand Prix in Minneapolis. This season, the freshman has posted first-place finishes in over five different individual events and currently holds the team s season top times in the 500 free, 1000 free, 200 back and 400 IM. Danielle Nack was awarded with the Big Ten Freshman of the Week title after her performance at the Big Ten Triple Duals against Purdue and Northwestern. Brooke Lorentzen, Isabel Wyer, Rae Bullinger and Bridgette Grobe round out the Gopher freshmen that will be competing at Championships.
2015 Big Ten Championships Roster for Minnesota Name Events Yr. Hometown Ellen Bloom Back/IM So. Sartell, Minn. Rae Bullinger Breast Fr. Hopkins, Minn. Heidi Busack Free Sr. Fergus Falls, Minn. Christie Clarke Free/Fly Sr. East Brunswick, NJ Katy Etterman Diving Sr. Brainerd, Minn. Bridgette Grobe Breast Fr. Victoria, Minn. Samantha Harding Distance Free Jr. Las Cruces, NM Maddie Hoch Free/Back So. Mechanicsburg, PA Katelyn Holmquist Back So. Janesville, Wisc. Kiera Janzen Free Sr. White Bear Lake, Minn. Brooke Lorentzen Mid./Distance Free Fr. Mission Viejo, Calif. Danielle Nack Fly/Sprint Free Fr. Mankato, Minn. Jessica Plant Free/Back Sr. Winnipeg, Manitoba Chloe Portela Fly Sr. Lawrence, Kan. Abigail Raatz Free So. Thiensville, Wisc. Jessica Ramberg Diving Jr. Forest Lake, Minn. Allison Schumacher Fly/Free So. Rochester, Minn. Tori Simenec Fly/Free Sr. Salem, Ore. Breanne Siwicki IM/Free So. Winnipeg, Manitoba Kierra Smith Breast Jr. Kelowna, B.C. Devin Ste. Marie Fly Sr. Whitby, Ontario Lexi Tenenbaum Diving So. Maple Grove, Minn. Lauren Votava Sprint Free/Fly Jr. Des Peres, Mo. Rebecca Weiland Sprint Free Sr. Wisconsin Rapids, Wisc. Isabel Wyer Free/Back Fr. Deephaven, Minn. Blake Zeiger Free Sr. Cumberland, RI Brooke Zeiger IM/Back/Free Fr. Cumberland, RI Yu Shelly Zhou Diving So. Beijing, China CSCAA NCAA Division I Women s Swimming and Diving Ranking as of February 16, 2015 1. California 2. Georgia 3. Stanford 4. Florida 5. Texas A&M 6. Texas 7. Auburn 8. Virginia 9. North Carolina 10. Tennessee 11. Arizona 12. Southern California 13. North Carolina State 14. Minnesota 15. Indiana 16. UCLA 17. Michigan 18. Missouri 19. Louisiana State 20. Louisville 21. Purdue 22. Ohio State 23. Southern Methodist 24. Wisconsin 25. San Diego State University Also receiving votes: Arizona State, Florida Gulf Coast, Kentucky, Penn State, Rice
-15 Minnesota Women s Top Times & Results 8-1 Record 4-0 Big Ten Arizona State Tempe, Arizona - Oct. 4, W, 191-101 Wisconsin Minneapolis, Minn. - Oct. 17, W, 203-95 North Dakota Madison, Wis. - Oct. 24, W, 215-81 Iowa Iowa City, Iowa - Oct. 31, W, 195-105 Florida Grand Forks, N.D. - Nov. 8, W, 183-117 Minnesota Grand Prix Minneapolis, Minn. - Nov. 20-22, Jean Freeman Invite Minneapolis, Minn. - Dec. 5-6, Hawai i Honolulu, Hawaii - Jan. 7, 2015 W, 139-108 North Carolina State Minneapolis, Minn. - Jan. 23-24, 2015 L, 199-154 B1G Triple Duals Minneapolis, Minn. - Jan. 30-31, 2015 W, 259-88 vs. Northwestern W, 232.5-116.5 vs. Purdue Minnesota Challenge Minneapolis, Minn. - Feb. 6-7, 2015 50 Freestyle 1 Becca Weiland 22.56 2 Blake Zeiger 22.98 3 Lauren Votava 23.01 4 Abigail Raatz 23.13 5 Danielle Nack 23.16 100 Freestyle 1 Lauren Votava 49.31 2 Becca Weiland 49.47 3 Blake Zeiger 49.66 4 Madeline Hoch 49.76 5 Abigail Raatz 50.13 200 Freestyle 1 Tori Simenec 1:45.84 2 Madeline Hoch 1:46.52 3 Jessica Plant 1:46.62 4 Lauren Votava 1:46.94 5 Kiera Janzen 1:47.18 500 Freestyle 1 Brooke Zeiger 4:39.50 2 Kiera Janzen 4:42.93 3 Jessica Plant 4:44.65 4 Sam Harding 4:46.28 5 Brooke Lorentzen 4:46.48 1000 Freestyle 1 Brooke Zeiger 9:44.67 2 Kiera Janzen 9:46.84 3 Sam Harding 9:57.76 4 Brooke Lorentzen 9:59.54 5 Madeline Hoch 10:13.54 1650 Freestyle 1 Kiera Janzen 16:03.23 2 Breanne Siwicki 16:18.20 3 Brooke Lorentzen 16:25.72 4 Sam Harding 16:26.71 5 Brooke Zeiger 16:52.79 100 Backstroke 1 Tori Simenec 54.72 2 Katelyn Holmquist 55.37 3 Brooke Zeiger 55.68 4 Isabel Wyer 56.77 5 Jessica Plant 57.13 200 Backstroke 1 Brooke Zeiger 1:57.86 2 Jessica Plant 1:59.42 3 Isabel Wyer 2:00.89 4 Katelyn Holmquist 2:01.62 5 Madeline Hoch 2:02.72 100 Breaststroke 1 Kierra Smith 59.40 2 Rae Bullinger 1:02.71 3 Blake Zeiger 1:02.72 4 Heidi Busack 1:03.37 5 Brooke Zeiger 1:06.47 200 Breaststroke 1 Kierra Smith 2:05.12 2 Heidi Busack 2:18.42 3 Rae Bullinger 2:20.82 4 Blake Zeiger 2:21.19 5 Sam Harding 2:23.74 100 Butterfly 1 Becca Weiland 52.84 2 Danielle Nack 53.06 3 Tori Simenec 53.26 4 Devin Ste. Marie 53.97 5 Blake Zeiger 54.26 200 Butterfly 1 Devin Ste. Marie 1:57.14 2 Tori Simenec 1:57.46 3 Danielle Nack 1:57.94 4 Lauren Votava 2:02.01 5 Madeline Hoch 2:03.36 200 Individual Meley 1 Tori Simenec 1:58.50 2 Kierra Smith 1:59.87 3 Brooke Zeiger 1:59.98 4 Jessica Plant 2:04.07 5 Blake Zeiger 2:06.15 400 Individual Medley 1 Brooke Zeiger 4:06.63 2 Breanne Siwicki 4:15.31 3 Kierra Smith 4:17.81 4 Sam Harding 4:18.73 5 Madeline Hoch 4:22.30
Minnesota Record Book (Short Course) Event 50 Freestyle 100 Freestyle 200 Freestyle 500 Freestyle 1000 Freestyle 1650 Freestyle 100 Backstroke 200 Backstroke 100 Breaststroke 200 Breaststroke 100 Butterfly 200 Butterfly 200 IM 400 IM 1 Meter Diving (6) 3 Meter Diving (6) Platform Diving (5) 200 Freestyle Relay 400 Freestyle Relay 800 Freestyle Relay 200 Medley Relay 400 Medley Relay Time 22.13 48.08 1:44.73 4:35.70 9:29.65 15:44.56 52.35 1:53.34 58.08 2:05.12 51.61 1:56.00 1:57.11 4:06.37 370.30 421.70 293.80 1:28.43 3:14.53 7:00.04 1:36.88 3:31.45 Name Rebecca Weiland Stacy Busack Kiera Janzen Jenny Shaughnessy Ashley Steenvoorden Ashley Steenvoorden Tess Behrens Tess Behrens Jillian Tyler Kierra Smith Becca Weiland Megan Braun Tori Simenec Jenny Shuaghnessy Kelci Bryant Kelci Bryant Maggie Keefer Weiland, Caflisch, Zeiger, Votava Busack, McCarthy, Shaughnessy, Eggers Janzen, Votava, Plant, Simenec Behrens, Spencer, Weiland, Caflisch Behrens, Spencer, Weiland, Caflisch Year