Dec. 7, 2008
AKRON, Ohio - The Ohio swimming and diving team used its speed and depth to win its second-consecutive Zippy Invitational Sunday in Akron's Ocasek Natatorium, racking up 1,517.5 points over the three-day meet. Sophomore Amanda Cecere took first in the 200 butterfly, while the Bobcats completed their relay sweep, winning the 400 freestyle relay, on the meet's final day.
"It was nice to be able to show teams that we have more and more people healthy," Ohio head coach Greg Werner said of the title. "We're still not 100 percent, but obviously it was nice to win. I felt like this was our best performance at this meet in the eight years we've been coming (to the Zippy Invitational)."
Cecere (Chelmsford, Mass.) was victorious in the 200 fly in 2:05.10, while fellow sophomore Rachel Heim (San Diego, Calif.) was not far behind in third place (2:07.14), as the duo combined to earn 59 points for Ohio.
Junior Chelsey Bower (Bethel Park, Pa.), freshman Sarah Owen (Portsmouth, England), Heim and senior Ashley Marion (London, Ont.) composed the Bobcats' winning 400 freestyle relay team, winning in a meet-record time of 3:27.13. Ohio took first in all five relay events over the weekend, with Marion on all five teams and Bower and Heim on four of them. The 'Cats also took sixth in Sunday's relay, as junior Ashley Poitinger (Akron, Ohio), senior Carine Souza (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Cecere and freshman Abby Corcoran (Tucson, Ariz.) finished in 3:33.32. Poitinger swam the leadoff split in a 100 freestyle personal-best time of 54.47.
"We've always taken a lot of pride in our relays, but to finish highly with our `B' relays was a great indication of the type of team effort we have," Werner said. "One of the reasons we take pride is because it shows our depth, a team philosophy and the direction of the program. To win all five relays this weekend and finish well with our second relay teams and in the times we did, setting some meet records, I was really happy with that."
In the 200 backstroke, Owen continued to impress in her first weekend as a Bobcat, taking second place in 2:02.63, which is an Ohio and Mid-American Conference season best. Owen won the 500 freestyle Friday in her Bobcat debut. Cecere placed seventh in the 200 back in 2:08.07.
Freshman Petra Chomicz (King's Lynn, England) was Ohio's top finisher in the 200 breaststroke, taking second in a Bobcat season-best and lifetime-best 2:22.65, while junior Allison Schaefer (Medina, Ohio) finished sixth in 2:27.41. Marion swam to third place in the 100 freestyle in another Ohio season-best and personal-best time of 51.50, which is the seventh-fastest time in Bobcat history, while Bower took eighth in 53.68.
The Bobcats started Sunday strong, placing three swimmers in the top eight of the 1650 freestyle, the day's first event. Sophomore Amanda Traylor (Los Alamitos, Calif.) was third in an Ohio season-best 17:25.61, while fellow sophomores Stacey Huber (Gainesville, Fla.) and Stella Johnson (Jacksonville, Fla.) finished sixth in 17:39.94 and eighth in 17:45.64, respectively.
The Bobcats finished the invitational winning 11 of the 20 events, compared to just four events a year ago, despite still winning the meet last year. Heim and Marion each helped Ohio with individual victories earlier this weekend, while junior diver Lindsay Hamilton (White City, Sask.) won both the 1-meter and 3-meter events over the opening two days.
Illinois State finished second at the 13-team Zippy Invite with 1,233.5, 284 points behind Ohio, while host Akron was third with 1,197 points and Buffalo took home fourth, totaling 1,020 points. For complete team scores, click here.
The Bobcats (3-2, 2-2 MAC) have the rest of December to enjoy their title, before hosting a non-conference dual meet with Denison on Friday, January 9, 2009, in Ohio's next competition.
"This is a time of the year where we have a huge advantage," Werner said. "Most schools are heading back to final exams, while we're in training camp mode and can just be athletes instead of student-athletes. We'll lay the foundation for a successful second half of the year (over the December break)."
