After falling to a larger Tennessee squad on Jan. 7, Northwestern (4-5) produced the same result against another larger, ranked team in No. 15 Michigan, losing to the Wolverines (3-3) 163.5-126.5 in their last major tune-up before the Big Ten Championships.

As with past meets, the Cats did not swim poorly, they just did not have enough swimmers to get points past the top spots, coach Jimmy Tierney said. But Tierney said the team met expectations thanks in part to a stunning performance by freshman Hayley Fry, who won both breaststroke races Saturday.

“Hayley looked great,” Tierney said. “She competed well and beat an All-American.”

Sophomore Katie Braun turned in a first-place finish of her own and took two seconds. She also was part of the first-place 400m IM relay.

“We were really excited after the medley relay,” Braun said. “We hadn’t expected to win.”

As happy Braun was with the relay performance, she said she was disappointed about her second-place finish in the 200m IM, which took place less than half an hour after she won the 200 fly by six seconds.

“I had been working on my breaststroke, and I didn’t feel I swam my best,” said Braun, whose defeat came at the hands of Cats’ senior Katie Paglini, giving NU a 1-2 finish in the race.

Both Paglini and Braun beat Michigan’s reigning Big Ten champion Justine Mueller in the event.

Sophomore Andrea Hupman was defeated by Wolverines’ swimmer Lindsay Smith in the 200m freestyle, but Hupman out-touched Smith in the 100m free, furthering one of the best rivalries in the Big Ten.

“It was good to come back like that and have a good second race, but I wish I could have beaten Lindsay,” Hupman said.

The Cats competed without the presence of freshman diver Chelsea Davis, who was at a USA Diving Selection Camp.

“I think we still would have lost, but it would have helped the margin,” Braun said.

Despite the loss, some of NU’s swimmers said they still are optimistic about their chances later in the season, citing the relays as a good chance to get the team points at the NCAA Championships.

Senior captain Sara Petric emphasized the team’s positive attitude and spirit in helping the team do well and also help the team bond.

“Over my four years, I have never felt as close as with these girls,” Petric said.

The team has one more dual meet left in the season against Iowa this Friday at home.

“Iowa is going to be more relaxed,” Braun said. “But we still want the seniors to go out on top.”

Reach Brian Regan at [email protected].