Jan. 30, 2009
ATHENS, Ohio - The Ohio University swimming and diving team got back to its winning ways Friday night, knocking off Division III Kenyon College, 105-93, and Xavier, 132-67, in a double-dual meet. The Bobcats (7-3, 2-3 Mid-American Conference) won nine of the 11 events, including both relays, en route to sweeping both duals at the Ohio Aquatic Center. Kenyon (7-5) defeated Xavier (6-12), 138-63, in the other women's dual, while on the men's side, the Musketeers (4-11) held off the Lords (4-7), 100-97.
Ohio opened the meet with a victory in the 400 medley relay in a time of 3:58.18, as the team of freshmen Sarah Owen (Portsmouth, England) and Petra Chomicz (King's Lynn, England), junior Rachael Kloosterman (Whitby, Ont.) and freshman Abby Corcoran (Tucson, Ariz.) combined to earn the win. The Bobcats closed the meet in similar fashion, as senior Carine Souza (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), junior Chelsey Bower (Bethel Park, Pa.), sophomore Rachel Heim (San Diego, Calif.) and senior Hallie English (Rocky River, Ohio) grabbed the 400 free relay title in 3:33.42.
"The relays were a great way to start the meet and a great way to finish the meet," Ohio head coach Greg Werner said. "I thought that we were able to put up not only great winning relays, but three good medley relays and two good free relays. We also had some fantastic splits in there. Hallie English is someone who stood out (to me). She had a great meet and has put together a string of good swims now."
Many of the winning relayers also earned individual wins, as Owen touched first in the 100 free (52.44), while Souza took second in 53.89. Heim finished first in the 200 individual medley (2:10.95), while Bobcat freshman Kristen Witham (Fort Wayne, Ind.) was runner-up in 2:11.86. Chomicz placed first in the 200 breaststroke (2:21.95), with senior Ashley Marion (London, Ont.) storming into second in 2:22.09. Marion also had a win of her own, taking the top spot in the 50 free in a lifetime-best 23.88, the 10th-fastest time in Bobcat history.
Sophomore Stacey Huber (Gainesville, Fla.) picked up a pair of individual wins for Ohio in the 500 and 1000 freestyle in 5:03.31 and 10:17.00, respectively. Freshman Annika Games (Brea, Calif.) stopped the clock first in the 200 back for the 'Cats as well, in 2:10.09.
Ohio divers did not face any competition on Friday, but junior Amy Bromberg (Deerfield, Ill.) shattered her lifetime-best on the three-meter board, earning 289.65 points, a 45.18-point improvement from her previous personal best. The score also qualified her for the NCAA Zone C Championships in three-meter diving held March 12-15 in Minneapolis, Minn.
Other personal bests were put in by sophomore Stella Johnson (Jacksonville, Fla.) in the 1000 free (10:30.53), junior Allison Schaefer (Medina, Ohio) in the 50 free (25.15) and sophomore Kasey Tolbert (Yorktown, Ind.) in the 200 breaststroke (2:28.71).
"I have to start with Kasey Tolbert," Werner said of someone who impressed him Friday. "She went 2:28.7(1) in the 200 breaststroke, which is nice to see. She's worked very hard and she works harder than some of the results she's gotten, so it's nice to see her break through like that."
The Bobcats return to the pool tomorrow, Jan. 31, as they'll host the Ball State Cardinals (2-5, 1-4 MAC) in a MAC dual meet. The meet begins at 1 p.m. with the 400 medley relay in the Ohio Aquatic Center and admission is free. The meet will be Ohio's final home meet of the season and the final home meet ever for English, Marion and Souza.
"It's our last chance at home to compete in our familiar confines and it's a great way to pay respect and tribute to our seniors," Werner said. "We have great seniors and it's a testament to (the three remaining seniors) for what they've had to endure and put up with, so we want to send them out with class and on top. We'll have to perform better tomorrow than we did tonight if we want to beat Ball State."
