Swim title streak ends

MINNEAPOLIS - The backs of their T-shirts read, "We will not go quietly." Despite finishing out of first place for the first time in 12 years, the Michigan women's swimming team did anything but go quietly this weekend at the Big Ten Championships.

The Wolverines had seven all-conference swimmers, all of whom qualified for the NCAA Championships, and as a team they finished first in seven of the 20 events.

The difference in the meet for Michigan was its lack of depth. While the Golden Gophers scored in every event of the meet, the Wolverines were shut out of three events and scored minimal points in two others. Michigan just didn't have the depth to c

KRISTIN GOBLE/Daily The Michigan women's swimming team performed well at this weekend's Big Ten Championships, finishing second to Minnesota.

ompete.

"The mathematics are pretty easy." Michigan coach Jim Richardson said. "We had 20 swimmers in the meet last year who scored scored and this year we had eight, maybe nine.

"You don't give up 11 scoring swimmers that represent somewhere between 22 and 33 events and do what you did the year before."

The opening night of the championships was truly indicative of how the rest of the meet would unfold. The meet kicked off with one of the most exciting relays all year. In the race, Michigan finished second to the Wildcats by only .02 second in the 200-yard freestyle relay, establishing the two teams as the fastest in the country.

Michigan's biggest race of the meet came in the 100 free, where senior Jen Eberwein, junior Shannon Shakespeare and sophomore Missy Sugar finished 1-2-3. It was the only such sweep of a single event by any team the entire weekend and solidified the Wolverines in second place for the rest of the meet.

"I think we knew that we were capable of it," Shakespeare said. "We didn't really go into it expecting that, but it's a great accomplishment for us."

Shakespeare was the outstanding scorer of the meet for Michigan, garnering 54 points. Besides her second place finish in the100 free, she finished first in the 200 IM and second in the 100 breast. She was also the anchor on the 400 free and 800 free relays that both took first and swam the second leg of the 200 medley relay that took first as well.

Eberwein, who returned to the Wolverines after a two month lay off from Epstein-Barr syndrome, finished her Big Ten swimming career with 18 Big Ten titles - six individual and 14 on relays. Four of those titles came this weekend, as she also swam in the 200 medley and 400 and 800 free relays to go with her individual title in the 100 free.

"I really had no idea what to expect and I just wanted to come and see what I could do." Eberwein said. "By the last day, I just figure that I would give everything that I had left and see what happened."

Also winning an individual title for Michigan was senior Cathy O'Neill who won the 400 IM. It was O'Neill's first Big Ten title for the Wolverines.

"After years of being with this team and working hard for it, I just didn't want to let anyone down," O'Neill said. "I love everyone of (my teammates) and they were all in the pool with me."

Despite not winning individual titles, Sugar and freshman Lidsay Carlberg, and junior Jenny Arndt were also factors in Michigan's strong performance. All three participated in the relays that won Big Ten titles and qualified for NCAAs. Carlberg also finished second in the 200 back and third in the 100 back.

"I was really excited because this is my first time," Carlberg said. "I just wanted to do the best for our team because we needed it this year."

The team now prepares for the NCAA Championships in March. Michigan will send seven swimmers to the meet.

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