Ypsilanti, Mich - The 2021 Mid-American Conference Women's Swimming and Diving Championships begin this evening in Ypsilanti, Michigan on the campus of Eastern Michigan University. The three-day championship will feature all eight of the MAC women's swim and dive programs.
Events will begin Thursday evening at aproximately 6:30 PM begining with the 200-yard freestyle relay. Due to COVID-19 protocols, there will be
NO SPECTATORS allowed at this year's event.
Live results can be found
here and on the meet mobile app. A live stream for each session will be available on the
Eastern Michigan Athletics Website as well as
MAC Championship Central.
Akron Zips
Akron will begin its pursuit for its eighth consecutive Mid-American Conference championship begining Thursday as they head to EMU for the 2021 MAC Swim and Dive Championships. The Zips will be lead by junior Sarah Watson (Winnipeg, Manitoba) after she set a second school record at the 2021 NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championships as Watson flew to a 48.63 time in the 100-yard freestyle on Saturday at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, N.C.
Ball State
After an accomplished regular season which saw the Cardinals knock out several pool and program records, the Ball State women's swimming & diving program aims to continue its success at the 2021 Mid-American Conference Championships.
The improvement the Cardinals have seen under the tutelage of head coach J. Agnew over the past three years is nothing short of exhilarating. It also bodes well as for the future of the program on the hunt for its first-ever MAC Team Championship.
In the year prior to his arrival, the Cardinals had just one swimmer and two divers advance to the championship finals of their events. Last year, the Cardinals had 16 swims in championship events and all three divers score in the meet during Agnew's second season.
Ball State's 223 total points last year were also the most for the program since the 2014 MAC Championships and had the Cardinals within striking distance of moving up in the final team standings.
Bowling Green
In a non-traditional year in which the national championships took place this past weekend, the Falcons will make their final preparations for the MAC Championships, scheduled to take place April 15-17 at Eastern Michigan University.
Backstroker Daisy Platts broke the school record in the 100 backstroke at the national championships and also had a strong performance in the 200 backstroke.
Buffalo
The University at Buffalo women's swimming and diving team (5-0, 3-0 MAC) will try to achieve something special this weekend, a Mid-American Conference Championship.
UB hosted last year's Mid-American Conference Swimming & Diving Championships where the Bulls had their best finish in program history. The Bulls would finish in second place while earning 738.5 points, also a program record. UB would earn major accolades as Head Coach Andy Bashor would earn Swim Coach of the Year honors. Diver Victoria Franz earned Freshman Diver of the Year.
Eastern Michigan
Eastern Michigan claimed third place at the 2020 MAC Championships, totaling 485 points over the four-day event held in Buffalo, N.Y. The Eagles had 13 top-five finishes at the meet, highlighted by two individual MAC titles from Alyssa Shugarman in the 500 and 1,650 freestyle. Then-senior Claire Young also posted a runner-up finish in the 200 back to tie her best finish in the event at MACs.
1-meter diving saw the most Eagles finish in the top-five, with Micaela Schempf, Sophia Tsafantakis, and Bethany Berger finishing third, fourth, and fifth, respectively.
Shugarman and Young were named First Team All-MAC, while Tsafantakis and then-junior Ali Staver were named Second Team All-MAC. For the 11th time in his career, Buck Smith was named the Diving Coach of the Year.
Miami
Coming Soon...
Ohio
The Ohio swimming and diving team is set for the 2021 Mid-American Conference Championships April 15-17 at Jones Natatorium on the campus of Eastern Michigan. Preliminary rounds will begin each day at 10:30 p.m., with finals set to start at 6 p.m.
The Bobcats are led by senior Katherine Garrity (Eagan, Minn.) who races primarily in distance events such as the 1,000-yard and 500– yard freestyle. Overall, Garrity has placed in the top-five in both events during each meet this season.
Ohio is also highlighted by freshman Gabrielle Brust (Granville, Ohio) who sees action in the 110-yard backstroke, 100 fly and the 200 IM, has proven to be a top finisher in those events during the season.
THe Bobcats last competed March 20 in Oxford Ohio, defeating Toledo, 164-136 and falling to Miami, 189-109. In that event, Garrity won the 1,000-yard freestyle in 10:17.76 and also placed second in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:04.49, while Brust placed first in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 56.80 and finished second in the 100-yard butterfly (55.88) and in the 200-yard IM (2:06.12).
Toledo
The University of Toledo women's swimming and diving team is set to compete at the 2021 Mid-American Conference Championships this weekend.
The three-day meet will be hosted by Eastern Michigan and run from Thursday-Saturday, April 15-17. Each day will begin with a 10:30 a.m. prelim session and be followed by finals later that evening. Diving prelims will take place in between swimming prelims and finals on Thursday and Friday.
"I'm excited to see all the hard work invested this season come together," head coach Brie Globig said. "We are mentally and physically in a great place a team right now. Anything is possible."
The Rockets competed in seven meets this season, hosting Bowling Green and Buffalo while also visiting Eastern Michigan twice, Ohio, and Miami. The Toledo divers also competed at the Buffalo Diving Invitational earlier this season.
Several Rockets have posted Top 10 times in the MAC in their respective individual events:
- Sophomore Jovana Duric, 500 freestyle (10th, 4:55.45)
- Sophomore Lauren Kilgore, 200 IM (4th, 2:01.74); 100 breaststroke (9th, 1:03.36); 200 breaststroke (9th, 2:18.28)
- Freshman Sydney Conrad, 100 butterfly (8th, 54.89); 200 butterfly (10th, 2:02.02)
- Sophomore Kennedy Lovell, 100 freestyle (8th, 50.46)Freshman Madison Giglio, 3-meter diving (10th-highest average score)
