Minnesota's Todd Smolinski was named Big Ten Swimmer of the Week this afternoon, after Smolinski, a five-time All-American, won the 100-yard backstroke at the Minnesota Invitational in a B-standard time of 49.13. The junior also swam on the Golden Gopher 400-yard freestyle, 400-yard medley and 800-yard freestyle winning relays. The 400-yard freestyle and 400-yard medley relays also posted B-standard times, while the 800-yard freestyle relay has the fastest time in the nation.

The seventh-ranked Golden Gophers won the Invitational with 1,311 points.

Smolinski, a native of St. John, Ind., earned a silver and a bronze medal this past summer at the World University Games in Beijing, China in the 100-meter and the 50-meter backstrokes, respectively. He was also named the swimmer of the meet at last year's Big Ten Championships after setting conference and school records in the 100-yard backstroke, winning the crown in 46.91.