It's a race for second place at the 2001 Big Ten Men's Swimming and Diving Championships as host Minnesota extended its lead in Day Two. The Golden Gophers go into the final day of competition with 549 points. Penn State and Michigan are tied for second with 378 points. Wisconsin is in fourth with 240 points.

Minnesota won the first event of the evening, the 200 medley relay, in a Big Ten record time of 1:27.21. The team of Todd Smolinski, Jeff Hackler, Chad Krastins and Ricardo Dornelas, bettered the previous record of 1:27.58, set by Minnesota in 1999. Wisconsin touched in second with a new school record time of 1:28.15, and Purdue finished third in a school record time of 1:28.34.

Tim Siciliano of Michigan won the 400 individual medley in convincing fashion, touching in a new Big Ten record of 3:42.45, almost six seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, Justin Mortimer of Minnesota. The previous record of 3:44.28 was held by Michigan's Tom Dolan. Mortimer finished in a school record time of 3:48.05, followed by Penn State's Joe Peresan, who set a new school record with a time of 3:50.24.

Penn State won its third individual event of the meet as Eugene Botes set a new school record en route to winning the 100 butterfly with a time of 47.48, a new school record. Minnesota's Krastins finished in second in a 47.68, and Wisconsin's Brendan Coyne touched in third 47.71, also a new school record.

In the fourth event of the night, Michigan freshman Dan Ketchum won the 200 freestyle, tying the Big Ten record of 1:34.99 set by Michigan's John Piersma in 1997. Jay Glenn had Iowa's highest finish of the meet so far, placing second in 1:36.69. Michigan State's John Munley took third in 1:36.74.

The record in the 100 breaststroke was broken three times on Day Two. In the preliminaries, Martin Gustavvson of Minnesota and Purdue's Tamas Bessenyei swam a 53.85 and 54.10, respectively, breaking the previous record of 54.19. In finals, Bessenyei lowered Gustavvson's record set mere hours earlier, swimming a 53.78. Lance Jones of Wisconsin finished second in a 54.15, and Gustavvson took third in a 54.31.

The biggest story of the evening came in the 100 backstroke, as Minnesota swept the top three spots. Sophomore Smolinski set a new Big Ten and school