Swimming & Diving

Feb. 21, 2012

2012 Men's Championship Central Site | Live Stats | Schedule of Events

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The men's swimming and diving team heads to Iowa City this week to compete in the Big Ten Championships, Feb. 22-25. The four-day event will be held at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Pool on the University of Iowa campus. Day one begins on Wednesday, Feb. 22nd with two events, the 200 Medley Relay and 800 Freestyle Relay at 7:30 p.m. ET. All of the event results will be kept up-to-date with live stats at this link.

The Spartans are coming off a two-week hiatus following their final regular-season dual in Ann Arbor and currently post a 4-5 record.

In the water, junior Jacob Jarzen has been the spark for the Spartans, pacing them in almost every dual meet. Jarzen currently posts the team's top times in four events; the 100 backstroke (48.27), 200 backstroke (1:45.30), 100 butterfly (47.36) and 200 IM (1:49.21).

Bryan Williams has also performed well for MSU, leading the team with top times in the 50 freestyle (20.53), 200 freestyle (1:38.89) and 200 butterfly (1:47.42). The sophomore also ranks second on the team in the 100 freestyle with a time of 45.91. Freshman Kyle Workman is the leader in that 100 free event with a time of 45.89.

In the distance races, MSU is led by a couple of underclassmen. Freshman Tanner Roe currently holds the top spot in the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:35.95 and the 1650 freestyle, clocking in at 15:54.79. Sophomore Brad Gillilan is the leader in the 1000 freestyle in a time of 9:27.45.

Cameron Bartlett and Nick Roberts hold the lead in the breaststroke events. Bartlett has posted a 56.85 in the 100 breaststroke and team second-best time of 2:06.09 in the 200 breaststroke. Roberts holds on to the top spot in the 200 breaststroke, posting a time of 2:03.59. The sophomore also leads the team in the 400 IM with a time of 4:00.54.

Brian Akers is the lone diver for the team. His current bests include, a score of 277.65 on the 1-meter board and a 318.45 on the 3-meter board.

Where We Rank
After several months of competition, the Spartan men have notched numerous victories and top times, earning them conference recognition as well as national rankings.

Nationally, Jacob Jarzen has posted a pair of top-50 times and another in the top-25. Currently, Jarzen posts the 13th best time in the nation in the 100 butterfly at 47.36. In the 100 backstroke, Jarzen sits in 39th place with a time of 48.27 and is in 34th place in the 200 backstroke at 1:45.30.

Sophomore Bryan Williams has also had a strong showing this season, standing at 39th in the national rankings with a 1:47.42 finish in the 200 butterfly. On the relay side, the Spartans boast two top-50 national times. MSU ranks 42nd in the 400 medley relay (3:18.67) and 50th in the 200-medley relay (1:30.24).

Conference Kudos
MSU swept the Big Ten weekly honors during the week of Dec. 14, with three members of the men's team picking up awards following their performances against Ball State Five Spartans picked up six awards, for their performances against Ball State. The Green and White picked up both the Swimmer and Diver of the Week as well as the newly instated Freshman of the Week accolade. Those honored include: sophomores Bryan Williams, senior Brian Akers, freshman Hunter Bartlett.

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