University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, February 17
Ann Arbor, Mich.
9 AM (Prelims), 4 PM (Finals)
University of Minnesota
at
Big Ten Championships
Players Mentioned
Diving
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Sprint Freestyle
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Freestyle/Backstroke/IM
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Freestyle/Backstroke/Butterfly
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Diving
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
IM/Breaststroke/Freestyle
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Backstroke/Butterfly
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Breaststroke/Butterfly
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Diving
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Backstroke
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Freestyle
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
IM/Butterfly/Breaststroke
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Backstroke/Freestyle/Butterfly
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Diving
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Van Berkom Takes Silver in 400 IM at Big Tens
2/17/2023 8:13:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving
MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota junior Megan Van Berkom medaled for the second straight day as Minnesota swimming and diving maintained its hold on fifth place Friday at the Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Van Berkom earned a silver medal in the 400 IM, taking runner-up honors a year after winning the title. The competition was neck-and-neck with Ohio State's Felicia Pasadyn. Van Berkom trailed by .72 seconds through the butterfly, but pulled in front at the halfway mark by .08 thanks to a 1:01.70 split in the backstroke.
The lead grew to .12 following the breaststroke but Pasadyn made up ground over the first 50 yards of the freestyle and the pair was tied at 3:35.72 with just 50 yards to go. Ultimately, Pasadyn's final 50 of 27.90 was enough to push her past Van Berkom's 29.14. The final time of 4:04.86 was the second fastest of Van Berkom's career, trailing on the mark she set at last year's Big Ten Championships.
The 400 IM also saw freshman Grace Drabot break her personal record twice in the same day. After a 4:15.05 in the prelims, she bettered it with a 4:13.09 'B' cut in the 'B' final to take 10th. With her improvements, she jumped from 15th to 12th to ninth in the event in team history.
In addition, senior Rachel Butler competed in the 'C' final of the 400 IM and finished 21st at 4:19.19.
The Gophers relay team of sophomore Hannah Cornish (22.56 split), fifth-year senior Olivia Bloomer (22.07), senior Maggie Summit (21.95) and freshman Ava Yablonski (22.92) finished fourth at 1:29.50, the team's second fastest mark of the year.
A fourth-place finish also went to fifth-year senior Joy Zhu on the 3-meter board. She posted a score of 349.35, while freshman Vivi Del Angel came in eighth with a 303.00 performance. Fellow freshman Addie Albrecht competed in the consolation final and took 14th with her score of 278.10, while junior Megan Phillip came in 18th in the prelims to earn points with her 273.60.
Like in the 400 IM, three Gophers also reached the finals of the 100 back.
Junior Paula Rodriguez Rivero, who earlier in the day broke her personal record at 52.78, followed with a time of 52.89 to finish in seventh place. In the 'C' final, Yablonski posted a 19th-place finish at 53.86, while fellow freshman Faith Johnson was two spots behind her with a time of 54.20.
In the 100 fly, Yablonski and Bloomer each competed in the 'C' final. Yablonski won the heat and claimed 17th with a personal record and 'B' cut of 54.27. In addition, she's now eighth all-time at Minnesota in the event. Bloomer, meanwhile, broke her own personal mark with a time of 53.47 to finish 19th.
The Gophers also had finalists in the 100 breast and 200 free.
Senior Emma Lezer earned a spot in the 'B' final and claimed 11th place with her time of 1:00.79, while in the 200, Cornish finished 24th at 1:49.42.
With 529.5 points through three days of competition, Minnesota remains alone in fifth place. Ohio State leads the way with 934 points, followed by Indiana (848.5), host-Michigan (773) and Wisconsin (649). Should the Gophers maintain their current standing through Saturday's finale, it would be their best finish since 2019 when they came in fourth.
The Big Ten Championships conclude Saturday with a schedule of the 1650 free, 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly, platform diving and the 400 free relay.
Van Berkom earned a silver medal in the 400 IM, taking runner-up honors a year after winning the title. The competition was neck-and-neck with Ohio State's Felicia Pasadyn. Van Berkom trailed by .72 seconds through the butterfly, but pulled in front at the halfway mark by .08 thanks to a 1:01.70 split in the backstroke.
The lead grew to .12 following the breaststroke but Pasadyn made up ground over the first 50 yards of the freestyle and the pair was tied at 3:35.72 with just 50 yards to go. Ultimately, Pasadyn's final 50 of 27.90 was enough to push her past Van Berkom's 29.14. The final time of 4:04.86 was the second fastest of Van Berkom's career, trailing on the mark she set at last year's Big Ten Championships.
The 400 IM also saw freshman Grace Drabot break her personal record twice in the same day. After a 4:15.05 in the prelims, she bettered it with a 4:13.09 'B' cut in the 'B' final to take 10th. With her improvements, she jumped from 15th to 12th to ninth in the event in team history.
In addition, senior Rachel Butler competed in the 'C' final of the 400 IM and finished 21st at 4:19.19.
The Gophers relay team of sophomore Hannah Cornish (22.56 split), fifth-year senior Olivia Bloomer (22.07), senior Maggie Summit (21.95) and freshman Ava Yablonski (22.92) finished fourth at 1:29.50, the team's second fastest mark of the year.
A fourth-place finish also went to fifth-year senior Joy Zhu on the 3-meter board. She posted a score of 349.35, while freshman Vivi Del Angel came in eighth with a 303.00 performance. Fellow freshman Addie Albrecht competed in the consolation final and took 14th with her score of 278.10, while junior Megan Phillip came in 18th in the prelims to earn points with her 273.60.
Like in the 400 IM, three Gophers also reached the finals of the 100 back.
Junior Paula Rodriguez Rivero, who earlier in the day broke her personal record at 52.78, followed with a time of 52.89 to finish in seventh place. In the 'C' final, Yablonski posted a 19th-place finish at 53.86, while fellow freshman Faith Johnson was two spots behind her with a time of 54.20.
In the 100 fly, Yablonski and Bloomer each competed in the 'C' final. Yablonski won the heat and claimed 17th with a personal record and 'B' cut of 54.27. In addition, she's now eighth all-time at Minnesota in the event. Bloomer, meanwhile, broke her own personal mark with a time of 53.47 to finish 19th.
The Gophers also had finalists in the 100 breast and 200 free.
Senior Emma Lezer earned a spot in the 'B' final and claimed 11th place with her time of 1:00.79, while in the 200, Cornish finished 24th at 1:49.42.
With 529.5 points through three days of competition, Minnesota remains alone in fifth place. Ohio State leads the way with 934 points, followed by Indiana (848.5), host-Michigan (773) and Wisconsin (649). Should the Gophers maintain their current standing through Saturday's finale, it would be their best finish since 2019 when they came in fourth.
The Big Ten Championships conclude Saturday with a schedule of the 1650 free, 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly, platform diving and the 400 free relay.
Vivi Del Angel Wins NCAA Bronze
Monday, March 24
Del Angel Earns B1G Platform Diving Silver
Saturday, February 22
Vivi Del Angel Wins NCAA Title
Monday, March 25
Megan Van Berkom Wins 400 IM
Monday, February 26