University of Minnesota Athletics
Hackler/Silkaitis Earn Minnesota Swimming MVP Honors
5/8/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving
Hackler earned his 11th-career All-America honor, as the Golden Gophers placed eighth with 216 points at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships this season. Minnesota also won its second consecutive Big Ten Conference championship
Hackler placed third in the 100-yard breaststroke and fourth in the 200-yard breaststroke at nationals.
Minnesota's 400-yard medley relay team of Smolinski, Hackler, Chad Krastins and Silkaitis earned third place. It was the highest placing for a Gopher relay since 1962. The Gopher 200-yard medley relay team of Smolinski, Hackler, Silkaitis, along with freshmen Bjorn Lundin, became the second Gopher relay to place third at the Championships, clocking a school-record 1:25.87.
The Gophers earned a pair of All-America honors in the 200-yard freestyle. Silkaitis placed seventh, while Taylor placed fourth in the consolation final, clocking a 1:36.63 to place 12th.
Silkaitis and Taylor joined junior Mortimer and senior Brandon Crook to place ninth in the 800-yard freestyle in 6:28.81. Silkaitis also placed14th in the 100-yard freestyle. Silkaitis' swam a personal-best 43.57 in the preliminaries, the second fastest time in school history, which broke his own freshman school mark.
The Gopher 400-yard freestyle relay team of Silkaitis, Taylor, Allen Ong and Smolinski swam a 2:55.37 to place second in the consolation final. It was Silkaitis' sixth All-America honor and Smolinski's 10th, as Minnesota set six school records during the Championships.
Players Mentioned
