University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Minnesota Grand Prix
Minnesota Grand Prix Day Two Results
11/12/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Nov. 12, 2011
After the second day of preliminary's at the Minnesota Grand Prix Saturday morning, the Gopher men's and women's swimming teams remained strong, qualifying 21 swimmers to the finals, which included four relay teams.
"The team had a really great day," head men's and women's swimming and diving coach Kelly Kremer said. "Our energy levels were probably a little bit less this morning, so I was really proud of the team for coming back tonight and having a really nice night of swimming."
The women's 800 freestyle relay A team of Hannah Whitehead, Jessica Plant, Lauren Weis and Kiera Janzen continued the Gophers' strong showing in the relay events as they defeated the field with a time of 8:14.50.
"We have so much fun," Janzen said. "Prior to the race we were all joking around and motivating each other to go fast. It's a lot of fun to feed off each other's excitement."
Kyler Van Swol competed in the Championship Final of the 200 butterfly, placing seventh with a time of 2:05.05, shortly behind Michael Phelps who won the event in 1:56.12.
"There we a lot of good swimmers in the 200 fly," Kremer said. "Kyler Van Swol is gaining experience. I thought that he had a nice race."
Representing the Gophers in the Championship Final for the women's 100 backstroke was sophomore Tess Behrens, who placed fourth with a time of 1:01.74, while Melissa Franklin from Colorado Stars placed first with a time of 59.69.
Former Golden Gopher David Plummer competed in the men's 100 backstroke Championship Final and placed second with a time of 53.87, merely a stroke away from first place Phelps (53.71). Carl Newenhouse finished seventh in the consolation final with a time of 57.93 and Zach Bolin finished third (58.40) in the C Final.
In the 400 freestyle Championship Final, Ashley Steenvoorden picked up a fourth-place finish with a time of 4:13.28 against two Olympian swimmers, Chloe Sutton who placed second (4:08.18), and Allison Schmitt, who place first (4:07.78).
Junior Haley Spencer and alumni Jillian Tyler finished fourth (2:29.29) and sixth (2:32.17) in the A Final of the 200 breaststroke.
"My goal was to place or better my times from Pan-Ams, which I did," Spencer said. "But, looking at my splits, I have a lot to work on for championship season. I love the Gopher fans and I love the Gopher team. I love everything about the Gophers. You can definitely hear everyone cheering for you not only out of the water, but in the race, and that means a lot."
Matthew Benecki placed fifth (3:59.52) in the 400 freestyle as the Gophers' lone representative, while Blake Zieger took eighth-place honors for Minnesota with a time of 27.26 in the Championship Final of the 50 freestyle.
The Minnesota Grand Prix will wrap up Sunday at the University Aquatic Center, with preliminaries set to begin at 9 a.m. and finals scheduled for 5 p.m.
Players Mentioned
