University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Open Season Versus Wisconsin on Friday
10/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving
Minnesota opened its season with an intrasquad meet on Oct. 16. Freshman Kyler Van Swol had an impressive showing, winning the 200-yard individual medley and both the 100 and 200 backstroke. Friday’s meet will give Van Swol his first chance to show what he can do against intercollegiate competition. Other multiple event champions for the Gophers were seniors Curt Carlson (100 and 200 freestyle), Ivan Gutesa (100 and 200 breaststroke), and Kevin Baseheart (100 and 200 butterfly). Carlson and fellow senior Michael Richards—who won the 50 free—are two of the nation’s top sprint freestylers, with 18 All-America honors between the two of them. They will be tough for the Badgers to beat Friday.
Wisconsin won its first meet against Wisconsin-Milwaukee by a score of 146-84 on Oct. 8. The Badgers lost 192-102 at Iowa on Oct. 15, but they still swept the Big Ten’s Swimmer of the Week and Diver of the Week awards for the second week in a row. Sophomore Daniel Lester—a 2010 All-American—swam an NCAA ‘B’ qualifying time of 47.86 in the 100 butterfly against Iowa, his second ‘B’ time this season. Lester also won the 200 butterfly and 200 individual medley against the Hawkeyes. Sophomore Michael Ross won the 1-meter and 3-meter dives against Iowa.
The Gophers have a strong diving corps that should be able to compete with Ross. Senior Drew Brown and sophomore Kris Jorgensen both competed at the NCAA Championships last season, and the Gophers have three promising freshmen in Turner Eckstrom, Andres Hansen, and Jonathan Roby.
Lester’s fast times this early in the season could be tough to beat, but the Gophers have an NCAA Championships veteran in Kevin Baseheart who will make the butterfly events competitive.
NOTES:
*The Gophers finished third at the 2010 Big Ten Championships. The Badgers finished eighth.
*Minnesota will face Wisconsin again in a triple dual meet at Purdue.
*Minnesota has eight of 11 NCAA Championships competitors back from last season’s 14th-place squad.
Players Mentioned
