Day 3 of the women’s Big Ten Championships was a wild affair, with peaks and valleys of momentum for all of the top teams.
No team hit higher highs or lower lows than Indiana, who looked primed to take over the lead after dominating the prelims. While the Hoosiers got a 1-2 in the 200 free from Kennedy Goss and Haley Lips, and also saw Brooklynn Snodgrass win the night’s headlining 100 back matchup with Clara Smiddy of Michigan, they also DQ’d their 400 medley relay and also got skunked points-wise in the 100 breaststroke.
Then there’s Minnesota, which led all teams with three wins – Kierra Smith‘s 100 breast, Yu Zhou‘s 3-meter diving title and Brooke Zeiger‘s runaway 400 IM. But the Gophers also got zero points in the 100 back, which limited their ability to run away with the meet.
Michigan, likewise, paired its great moments (a 2-3 finish in backstroke and a runner-up 400 medley relay) with some clunkers (a single point in the 100 fly) and fell to third on the day.
And there’s Wisconsin, who continues to win big events (Ivy Martin added two more tonight with the 400 medley relay and 100 fly), but is struggling to keep up with the top 3 depth-wise.
All that adds up to a team battle that should make tomorrow’s final two sessions packed with drama. Minnesota leads by 47, with Indiana moving up to second despite the relay DQ and Michigan sitting third.
We’ve got the full team scores below. Note that Purdue has made a small run up to 5th place after their best night of the meet so far, with Ohio State in tow and Penn State starting to drop off a bit.
Team Scores After Day 3
- Minnesota – 421
- Indiana – 374
- Michigan – 331
- Wisconsin – 299
- Purdue – 261
- Ohio State – 250
- Penn State – 224
- Iowa – 153
- Northwestern – 106
- Nebraska – 105
- Rutgers – 92
- Illinois – 60
- Michigan State – 57