Indiana Men’s Swimming and Diving Finishes Second at Big Tens

Saturday, March 6

Columbus, Ohio

6:30 PM

Indiana University

Big Ten Championships - Finals

Indiana Men’s Swimming and Diving Finishes Second at Big Tens

3/6/2021 9:30:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving

Results (PDF)

Burns, Capobianco Earn Championship Accolades

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 8-ranked men's Indiana swimming and diving team could not hold off the No. 11-ranked Michigan Wolverines on the final night and finished runner-up at the 2021 Big Ten Championships at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion.

Despite several strong performances in both the pool and the diving well, Indiana was not able to overcome enough hurdles to tackle Michigan. The Hoosiers finished second in the team standings with a score of 1,357 points. Michigan won the team title with a final tally of 1,401 points. IU has finished top three in the team standings in 11-straight seasons.

100 FREESTYLE
Freshman Tomer Frankel outpaced his seed to finish tied for fourth in the Championship Final of the 100 Freestyle with a time of 42.50. Junior Jack Franzman finished seventh in the heat with a mark of 42.60.

Senior Griffin Eiber tied for 23rd out of the C Final in the event with a time of 44.00.

1,650 FREESTYLE
Redshirt sophomore Michael Brinegar led the mile from the first lap through the 66th lap, finishing with a golden time of 14:38.26. Junior Mikey Calvillo finished sixth in the event with a mark of 15:01.89.

200 BACKSTROKE
Sophomore Brendan Burns continued his golden week with a victory in the 200 Backstroke with a career-best time of 1:39.37. His time was the fastest Big Ten-winning mark since former Hoosier Eric Ress won with a Big Ten record time of 1:38.89 in 2014.

Senior Jacob Steele nabbed bronze with a mark of 1:41.53 and senior Gabriel Fantoni claimed the sixth spot with a time of 1:42.42.

Senior Spencer Lehman won the C Final to place 17th overall with a final time of 1:43.71.

200 BREASTSTROKE
Junior Zane Backes set the tempo early in the race but could not withstand the late charge from the middle lanes. He finished in the bronze position with a time of 1:53.18, a career-best mark in the event.

Freshman Maxwell Reich finished 14th with a time of 1:56.22 out of the Consolation Final, while senior Gary Kostbade placed 16th at 1:57.81.

Two more seniors scored for the Hoosiers in the event with Thomas Vanderbrook (1:58.35) taking 21st and Brock Brown (1:58.96) claiming 22nd.

400 FREESTYLE RELAY
The Hoosier relay team of Frankel, junior Van Mathias, Burns, and Franzman claimed the program's sixth-straight title in the event, winning with a time of 2:49.20.

TEAM SCORES
1. Michigan – 1,401 pts.
2. INDIANA – 1,357 pts.
3. Ohio State – 1,322 pts.
4. Purdue – 732 pts.
5. Wisconsin – 729 pts.
6. Northwestern – 722 pts.
7. Penn State – 619.5 pts.
8. Iowa – 566.5 pts.
9. Minnesota – 564 pts.
10. Michigan State – 196 pts.

NOTABLES
• Burns secured his second individual gold medal of the week in the 200 Backstroke with a blistering time of 1:39.37. The mark is the fourth-fastest time ever produced by an IU swimmer, makes him the second-fastest performer in program history in the event, and lands him with the second-quickest time in the NCAA this season.
• The sophomore from Berwyn, Pa., was named the 2021 Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships after winning four gold medals in the 200 Butterfly, 200 Backstroke, 400 Freestyle Relay, and 400 Medley Relay. He also earned silver in the 100 Butterfly and bronze in both the 200 Medley Relay and 800 Freestyle Relay.
• He is the fifth-straight Hoosier to win Swimmer of the Championships, joining Vini Lanza (2017-19) and Bruno Blaskovic (2020). The five-year stretch marks the longest winning streak by any conference school since the inception of the award in 1991.
• Redshirt junior Andrew Capobianco was named co-Big Ten Diver of the Championships after winning the 1-meter event and placing fourth on the 3-meter springboard. He is the 16th diver in program history to earn Diver of the Championship accolades and first since James Connor is 2019. Capobianco was named Big Ten Diver of the Year following the 2018-19 season.
• Brinegar led wire-to-wire in the 1,650 Freestyle, giving IU its first Big Ten crown in the event since James Sweeney won in 1991. The win snaps a five-year run of wins by the Michigan Wolverines in the event.
• His time of 14:38.26 ranks as the third-fastest time ever swam by a Hoosier and is fifth nationally tihs season. He owns the four fastest marks in program history in the event.
• For the 14th time in program history, the men's 400 Freestyle Relay earned gold. The squad has won the event six-straight seasons, matching the stretch from 1971-77. The team's time of 2:49.20 ranks sixth nationally this season.
• Backes moved into the fifth spot on the all-time performer list in the history of the 200 Breaststroke at Indiana.
• Frankel moved into eighth place on the all-timer performer list at Indiana in the 100 Freestyle after throwing down a career-best mark of 42.50 in the Championship Final.

INDIANA POSTSEASON ACCOLDAES
BIG TEN SWIMMER OF THE CHAMPIONSHPS
Brendan Burns

BIG TEN CO-DIVER OF THE CHAMPIONSHPS
Andrew Capobianco

FIRST-TEAM ALL-BIG TEN
Zane Backes
Michael Brinegar
Brendan Burns
Andrew Capobianco
Gabriel Fantoni
Tomer Frankel
Jack Franzman
Brandon Hamblin
Van Mathias

SECOND-TEAM ALL-BIG TEN
Corey Gambardella
Mory Gould

BIG TEN SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD NOMINEE
Gary Kostbade

FINALS RESULTS
100 FREESTYLE
t-4. Tomer Frankel – 42.50 (NCAA B Cut, Career Best)
7. Jack Franzman – 42.60 (NCAA B Cut)
t-23. Griffin Eiber – 44.00

1,650 FREESTYLE
1. Michael Brinegar – 14:38.26 (NCAA B Cut)
6. Mikey Calvillo – 15:01.89 (NCAA B Cut)
24. Ben McDade – 15:29.78

200 BACKSTROKE
1. Brendan Burns – 1:39.37 (NCAA B Cut, Career Best)
3. Jacob Steele – 1:41.53 (NCAA B Cut)
6. Gabriel Fantoni – 1:42.42 (NCAA B Cut)
17. Spencer Lehman – 1:43.71 (NCAA B Cut, Career Best)

200 BREASTSTROKE
3. Zane Backes – 1:53.18 (NCAA B Cut, Career Best)
14. Maxwell Reich – 1:56.22 (NCAA B Cut)
16. Gary Kostbade – 1:57.81 (NCAA B Cut)
21. Thomas Vanderbrook – 1:58.35 (NCAA B Cut)
22. Brock Brown – 1:58.96

400 FREESTYLE RELAY
1. Tomer Frankel, Van Mathias, Brendan Burns, Jack Franzman – 2:49.20 (NCAA A Cut)

UP NEXT
A select group from the men's swimming and diving programs will move onto the NCAA Championships. The NCAA Zone C Diving Championships will begin tomorrow in Lexington, Ky., while the NCAA Championships will begin in Greensboro, N.C. on March 24.

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