Michigan leads after 1st night of Big Ten meet

Wednesday was an easy night for Big Ten teams in the 2005 Women's Big Ten Swimming and Diving Championships. Only two finals took place: the 200-yard medley relay and the 800-yard freestyle relay. \nPenn State' relay team took the 200-yard medley crown setting a new Big Ten record of 1:39.06 beating last year's record of 1:39.22. Penn State captured the event title in 2004 at the Big Ten Championship and set the previous record. \nMichigan took the 800-yard freestyle relay with a time of 7:09.42. With that win in the 800-yard freestyle relay and then placing second in the 200-yard medley relay, Michigan leads after the first night with a score of 73 and Penn State in a close second at 72.\nIU came away from the 200-yard medley relay placing fourth with a time of 1:41.24 beating its personal best of 1:43.85.\n"(I'm) Very pleased with the 200-yard medley relay and the four individuals we put in there and that is the best we could ask from them," said IU coach Dorsey Tierney.\nSophomore Leila Vaziri was disappointed with her finish in the event.\n"I got myself a little too pumped up for my part of the 50(-yard) backstroke and we all wanted to place a little better," Vaziri said after the 200-yard medley relay finish.\nIU went into the 800-yard freestyle relay with the Big Ten's third-best time but came out fifth overall with a time of 7:18.78. It was another personal best for IU as the team beat its old time of 7:21.91.\n"We swam like we are very inexperienced and experience is vital to swimming this event well," Tierney said. "We will be fine in the next days and we will need to adjust but overall it was a solid first night."\nIU finished the night fourth overall with a total of 58 points and will head into today's competition of the Big Ten Championship with prelims beginning at 11 a.m. and finals beginning at 7 p.m.\n-- Contact Staff Writer Doug Klausen at dklausen@indiana.edu.