Akron Wins Third MAC Dual

Akron Wins Third MAC Dual

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Akron 182, Ohio 116
Team Results
ATHENS, Ohio – Akron Swimming and Diving earned its third Mid-American Conference win of the season with a victory over Ohio Saturday afternoon in Athens, Ohio. 
 
With the win, Akron improves to 4-1 on the season while Ohio falls to 0-4. 
 
Akron got off to a strong start as the quartet of sophomore Sarah Watson (Winnipeg, Manitoba), junior Paulina Nogaj (Radom, Poland), freshman Rachel Schiffli (Indianapolis, Indiana), and senior Morgan Waggoner (Fremont, Ohio) touched the wall at 1:35.03 in the 200 free, good enough for a first place finish. 
 
Sophomore Olivia Gardner (Bromsgrove, England) followed that up with a first-place finish in the 400 IM with a time of 4:25.96.
 
In the first diving event of the afternoon, the 3-meter dive, junior Andrea Bugariu (Shelby Twp, Mich.) placed first with a score of 279.97. Junior Megan Nugent (Rochester, N.Y.) rounded out the top 3 with a score of 252.70.
 
Nogaj continued her dominance in the 100 butterfly, burning the competition with a time of 53.77, nearly five seconds quicker second-place finisher Weronika Gorecka (Wroclaw, Poland) who finished at 58.16.
 
Junior Brooke Lamoureux (Victoria, Canada) and freshman Gail Workman (Cincinnati, Ohio) earned first and third place finishes in the 500 free with times of 5:03.33, and 5:08.93, respectively. 
 
Sophomore Andrea Fischer (Oak Grove, Minn.) came out on top in the 200 breaststroke for the second day in a row, touching the wall at 2:21.30. Gorecka also followed up her first-place performance in the 200 backstroke from yesterday, placing first once again with a time of 2:00.79.
 
Waggoner earned her second victory of the afternoon (first individual event) in the 100 free with a time of 51.78. 
 
In the final diving event of the afternoon, Akron had two top-three finishes in the 1-meter dive, including a tremendous first-place finish by freshman Paige Kalik (Irwin, Penn.), whose score of 268.79 qualifies her for the NCAA Zone C Chamionship. 
 
Waggoner followed that up with her third victory of the afternoon, swimming a 23.77 in the 50 free.
 
Ohio claimed victories in the next two events, until Akron came back out on top in the 100 backstroke, thanks to an impressive performance by Nogaj (57.33). 
 
Gorecka (1:57.69) and Lamoureux (1:57.76) earned second and third place finishes, respectively in the 200 free. Senior Jessica Bonezzi (Wooster, Ohio) earned a second-place finish in the 1000 free with a time of 10:26.53.
 
Akron claimed victory in the final event of the afternoon, the 400 medley relay, thanks to an impressive 3:49.54 finish by Gorecka, Fischer, Watson and Nogaj.
 
The Zips will be back in action on Friday, Nov. 22 as they will compete in the Magnus Cup Invitational.

Bowling Green 178, Marshall 122
Team Results
Bowling Green, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University women's swim and dive team moved to 2-0 on the season by defeating Marshall 178-122. The Falcons began the day on the boards, with Talisa Lemke and Kylie Mosset finishing first and second in the 3 meter dive. BGSU took first in the opening swimming event, the 400-yard medley relay. The team of Daisy Platts, Taylor Harris, Sarah Hennings, and Lauren Sullivan finished in 3:53.08, more than seven seconds faster than the second-place team from Marshall. The Orange and Brown carried this momentum into the next event, with Kellie House and Meghan Burnard taking the top two spots in the 1650-yard freestyle.
 
Daisy Platts finished first for the seventh time this season, winning the 100-yard backstroke in 54.74 seconds. This time is now the fifth-best in program history. Taylor Harris won a thrilling 100-yard backstroke, edging out Marshall's Catherine Bendziewicz by just .04 seconds. The Falcons took second and third place in consecutive events, taking an 86-64 lead at the halfway point.
 
In the meet's back half, the Orange and Brown dominated, winning all but two events. Talisa Lemke kicked off the second half with a victory in the 1 meter dive, scoring 293.40. Daisy Platts won her second event of the day, finishing the 100-yard freestyle in 52.08 seconds. Immediately after, Lauren Sullivan won the 200-yard backstroke, finishing with a time of 2:04.57. From there, the distance racers took over. Kellie House claimed her second victory of the day, winning the 500-yard freestyle. Meghan Burnard and Maddy Andrews were right behind the sophomore, earning second and third place finishes.
 
Sarah Hennings put on another historic performance in the 100-yard butterfly, finishing in 55.53 seconds. This is the sixth-fastest time in program history. Daisy Platts extended her individual winning streak to nine, taking first in the 400 individual medley with a time of 4:28.61. The Orange and Brown capped the day with a third and fourth place finish in the 200-yard freestyle relay, giving them a 178-122 victory.

First Place Falcons
  • Talisa Lemke won the 3 meter dive for the second time this season, scoring 337.05.
  • Lemke also claimed her second victory in the 1 meter dive, scoring 293.40.
  • The 400-yard medley relay team (Platts, Harris, Hennings, Sullivan) finished in 3:53.08, their fastest time of the season.
  • Sophomore Kellie House earned her first victory of the year, winning the 1650-yard freestyle with a time of 17:38.98.
  • House took her second victory of the season later in the afternoon, winning the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:09.53.
  • Daisy Platts won the 100-yard backstroke in 54.74 seconds, the fifth-fastest time in program history.
  • Platts claimed two more victories on the day, winning the 100-yard freestyle (52.08) and 400-yard individual medley (4:28.61).
  • Taylor Harris claimed first in an exhilarating 100-yard breaststroke, winning with a time of 1:07.27.
  • Lauren Sullivan earned her first victory of the season in the 200-yard backstroke, finishing with a time of 2:04.57.
  • Sarah Hennings added her name to the record book again, taking first in the 100 butterfly. Her time of 55.53 is sixth in program history.
 
Notable Performances
  • Kylie Mosset placed second in the 3 meter dive, scoring 258.07. She was backed by freshman Julia Januszewska, who placed fourth with a score of 232.90.
  • The 400-yard medley relay team of Sarah Fergus, Julianna Petrak, Michaela Ruddock, and Ashleigh Franks earned points for the Falcons, finishing in 4:03.52 to claim third.
  • Senior Meghan Burnard earned second in the lengthy 1650-yard freestyle, finishing with a time of 17:49.62.
  • Maddy Andrews placed second in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:56.15.
  • BGSU got a big points boost in the 100-yard breaststroke from Julianna Petrak (3rd, 1:09.07) and Kasie Perretta (1:10.13)
  • Sarah Hennings (2nd, 2:06.14) and Michaela Ruddock (3rd, 2:11.62) gave the Falcons another lift in points in the 200-yard butterfly.
  • The Falcons got yet another boost in points in the 50-yard freestyle, with Noelle Lavigne (24.56) and Ashleigh Franks (24.89) taking third and fourth.
  • Freshman Inbar Mark gave a strong performance in the 200-yard backstroke, taking third with a time of 2:10.37.
  • The Falcons took second, third, and fourth in the 200 breaststroke. Taylor Harris (2:25.94), Kasie Perretta (2:30.79), and Julianna Petrak (2:31.28) all added points for the Orange and Brown.
  • Meghan Burnard (5:13.16) and Maddy Andrews (5:16.06) took second and third in the 500-yard freestyle, giving the Falcons the top three spots in that event.
  • Andrews added another top three finish in the 400-yard individual medley. She finished in 4:40.72 to earn second place.
  • The 200-yard freestyle relay team of Ashleigh Franks, Lauren Sullivan, Gillian Boal, and Noelle Lavigne placed third with a time of 1:38.78.

Coach's Quote
On the victory: "I am most happy with the way the ladies bounced back the second half of the meet. We started off a little slow, they've been working really hard and they're a little tired and a little sore. After the 50 freestyle, they really came out hard and won the meet in that last section. I'm very happy with the diving and I'm impressed with the team effort across the board. Everyone gave it their all even when they were tired."
 
On the alumni recognition: "It was very special to have the alumni back. They have done an incredible job of building this program. As you saw with the banners, they were the most talented team in the region in the 70s. They beat the likes of Ohio, Michigan, Cincinnati, and they did it with great team unity. We're going to try to build on that unity this year. They're a very fun, special group of women."
 
Special Recognition: All-Program Reunion
During a break in the meet, the program recognized accomplishments from teams that competed in the 1970s. Legendary coaches Jean Campbell and Tom Stubbs led the Falcons to OAISW titles each season from 1974-1980. Ten BGSU swimmers were named AIAW All-Americans in this span. Banners were unveiled to celebrate the championship teams from 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, and 1980. The banners will now hang above Cooper Pool to acknowledge the achievements of Dr. Campbell, Coach Stubbs, and the "Swimmin' Women."
 
Up Next
The Falcons will travel to Cleveland State to compete in the Magnus Cup, which takes place from Friday, Nov. 22 to Sunday, Nov, 24. This will be the eighth time Cleveland State has hosted the Magnus Cup, and the first time Bowling Green will compete in it. The Orange and Brown close the 2019 portion of their season at the Miami Invite, held from Thursday, Dec. 5 to Saturday, Dec. 7. BGSU will not return to action in Cooper Pool until Friday, Jan. 17 and Saturday, Jan. 18, when they host duals against Davenport and MAC opponent Miami.

Eastern Michigan // FGCU & Oakland
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University swimming and diving team closed the home portion of its fall schedule with a tri-meet win against Oakland University and Florida Gulf Coast University, Nov. 9 at Jones Natatorium.

Junior Alyssa Shugarman (Oswego, Ill.-Oswego) started things off for the Eagles with two wins. First, in the 1,000 freestyle with a time of 10:18.65, then in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:01.62.

Casey Gavigan (East Setauket, N.Y.-Ward Melville) picked up wins in the 100 and 200 backstroke for the second meet this season, after first doing so against Miami, Oct. 26. The senior took the win in the 100 backstroke with a 55.41 mark, and won the 200 backstroke in 1:59.15.

Also earning a win for the Green and White was Ali Staver (Bettendorf, Iowa-Pleasant Valley) in the 200 butterfly. The junior took the event title with a 2:04.41 mark.

Rounding out the day, the Eagles swept the 1-meter diving event, claiming the top four spots. Senior Brielle Johnston (Ottawa, Ontario-Catholique Franco-Quest) finished first with a score of 275.10, followed by senior Sophia Tsafantakis (Washington, Mich.-Romeo) at 267.55. Junior Micaela Schempf (Bowling Green, Ohio-Bowling Green) took third with a mark of 252.80, and junior Bethany Berger (Batavia, Ohio-Glen Este) rounded out the sweep with a score of 250.00.

Eastern Michigan returns to competition next month at the Denison Invitational. Slated for Dec. 5-7, this will be the final competition in 2019 for EMU.