University of Minnesota Athletics
Men's Swimming and Diving Preview: Part 1
10/12/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving
Sprint Free:
Minnesota continues to load its roster with talented sprint freestyle swimmers. Senior All-Americans Michael Richards and Curt Carlson lead the pack, looking to add to their prolific résumés. Richards, an eight-time All-American, finished 11th in the 50 free at the 2010 NCAA Championships. Carlson, a ten-time All-American, finished 15th in the 100 free. Richards and Carlson also finished first and second, respectively, in the 100 free at the Big Ten Championships. “Those two guys give a really strong one-two punch,” said Dale.
Junior Zach Bolin completes a one-two-three punch—he finished third after Richards and Carlson in the 100 free, and will continue to contribute for the Gophers.
A freshman who could make an impact is Derek Toomey. He was the Wisconsin Division 1 state runner-up in both the 50 and 100 free races his senior year of high school. “I think his real contribution to the team is going to be his sophomore, junior, and senior years, but I think he can be a Big Ten scorer as a freshman,” said Dale.
Mid-Distance Free:
The Gophers graduated one of their top middle distance free racers in Ray Betuzzi, but they still have swimmers who could step up this season.
Hrvoje Capan finished eighth in the 200 free at the 2010 Big Ten Championships after coming into the meet unseeded. The sophomore looks to return to the 200 free finals and score in some other events at Big Tens as well. “He’s already training better this year than he did at anytime last year, so he is going to be able to be a bigger contributor this year than he was last year,” said Dale.
Another swimmer who will have an impact is junior Mike Vernoia, a transfer from the College of New Jersey. Vernoia was the 2010 NCAA Division III Championships runner-up in both the 200 and 500 free.
Distance Free:
A few names to watch in the distance free are Matt Benecki and David Hawker. Benecki, a sophomore, competed at Big Tens last year, finishing 17th in the 500 and 20th in the 1650 free. Hawker, a senior, did not swim at Big Tens in 2010, but did the year before. “They have their work cut out for them, but we’re excited about the promise that they’re showing,” said Dale.
Players Mentioned
