Christy Olin has been tearing apart any competition in her butterfly events this year, she did it again this weekend in the Wildcats’ meets against No. 16 Michigan and Toledo.
Olin placed first in the 200-yard fly Friday against Michigan and finished second in the 100 fly. The junior captured the 100-fly title in Toledo on Saturday and helped the 200 freestyle relay to a victory.
“She did an excellent job. I know she was tired but she just seems to raise her level up every week to be able to perform,” coach Jimmy Tierney said. “It’s been an amazing series of meets where she’s been so sharp. It’s a credit to her to stay healthy and continue to work hard and do well.”
Strong performances by several NU swimmers were not enough to overcome the high-powered Wolverines, who finished on top 179.5-109.5.
Three other Cats won individual events. Freshman diver Leanne Dumais defeated Michigan senior Tealin Kelemin to claim the top spot in one-meter diving.
“She’s been just a great competitor for us,” Tierney said of the young diver. “She brings that Southern California cool and she’s brought it to the Midwest and to our Big Ten competition. She doesn’t seem phased by (any competitors) and she’s been an outstanding asset to our team.”
Senior Erica Rose also picked up a win against Michigan, placing first in the 400-individual medley.
Even though Michigan is a ranked team, Tierney said he feels the Cats may have done better if they had been more rested.
“To be honest we were pleased with a lot of races, but I thought we should’ve done better,” Tierney said. “They were tired. I probably underestimated the recovery time from all the hard work this month.”
The Cats did more than just rebound the next day in Toledo, winning 128-67 in a dominant team performance.
“They put the Friday night meet behind them, got themselves ready for Toledo and showed good spirit the whole day, ” Tierney said.
Seven NU swimmers picked up individual victories, including freshman Ashley Welnhofer, who notched her first of the year.
“Ashley’s done a great job for us all year and to have that opportunity is exciting for her,” Tierney said. “Her team and coaches were excited too.”
Marijana Surkovic, Erin Swenson, Olin, Lori Schwanhausser, Sara Petric and Amy Mueller also delivered first-place finishes.
“Petric had a fantastic day and that’s a credit to her and the other athletes,” Tierney said. “A number of them were able to get up to that level and get a win and hopefully they feel like they’re putting in the work to help their team.”
