Dec. 5, 2008
AKRON, Ohio - The Ohio swimming and diving team did not show any signs of rust after a 20-day layoff from competition, as it sits in second place after the first day of the three-day Zippy Invitational hosted by the University of Akron. The Bobcats racked up 431.5 points in the six event finals held Friday night, winning four of them, and trail host and first-place Akron by just 13.5 points. With its four event wins Friday night, Ohio matched its event win total from all of last year's Zippy Invitational, which the Bobcats won.
"I was ecstatic with today. One of our goals is to get better with every session and I thought we did that. I thought we started well today and this morning was the best first session we've ever had (at this invitational)," Ohio head coach Greg Werner said. "Tonight we were better than this morning. The idea is to get better as the competition goes on and I'm happy with how we performed and where we're sitting."
Ohio won both relays held on the opening night, as the 'Cats took the 200 freestyle relay in a meet-record time of 1:35.21, while claiming the 400 medley relay in 3:51.70. Senior Ashley Marion (London, Ont.), junior Chelsey Bower (Bethel Park, Pa.), freshman Abby Corcoran (Tucson, Ariz.) and sophomore Rachel Heim (San Diego, Calif.) made up the winning 200 freestyle relay team, with Marion swimming a leadoff split of 23.97, a personal best for her in the 50 freestyle. Marion, Bower, and Heim teamed up again, this time with junior Allison Schaefer (Medina, Ohio), to win the 400 medley relay.
Freshman Sarah Owen (Portsmouth, England) made the biggest splash on the opening day, winning the 500 freestyle in her Bobcat debut, in a time of 4:58.10, the fastest time by a 'Cat this season. Sophomore Amanda Traylor (Los Alamitos, Calif.) placed fourth in the 500 free in 5:03.24, while sophomore Stella Johnson (Jacksonville, Fla.) set a personal best in the event with a time of 5:09.17.
"Sarah was very excited, as was the team," Werner said of her debut win. "We knew she was very accomplished and we knew she had potential. Only having been here a few weeks we didn't know exactly how good she'd be at this point, but to see her perform (this well) at this point in the season is very exciting."
In diving, junior Lindsay Hamilton (White City, Sask.) won the 1-meter event with a score of 281.50, missing her lifetime best by less than three points. Hamilton took first ahead of Buffalo's Meili Carpenter and Akron's Katie Carter, who hold the top-two scores in the Mid-American Conference this season.
"Lindsay performed very well, but far from perfect and that's what exciting," Werner said. "To almost get a lifetime best and still have plenty of room to improve bodes very well for her future."
Bower tied a season-best in the 50 freestyle, grabbing third place in 23.72, while freshman Petra Chomicz (King's Lynn, England) finished seventh in the 200 individual medley in 2:10.52.
Owen, Chomicz, Corcoran and sophomore Amanda Cecere (Chelmsford, Mass.) swam to a sixth-place finish in the 400 medley relay in 3:55.25, coming in five spots behind Ohio's winning 400 medley relay team.
The Bobcats continue their task of defending last year's Zippy Invitational title Saturday, with swimming prelims set to start at 9 a.m., diving prelims scheduled for approximately 1:30 p.m. and event finals at 6 p.m. Eight more event finals are on tomorrow's slate, which will be held at Akron's Oliver J. Ocasek Natatorium.
