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ATHENS, Ohio –  The Ohio swimming and diving team returned to the pool for the first time in 2022 Friday afternoon (Jan. 7), defeating Marshall in dominating fashion, 217-83, inside the Ohio University Aquatics Center. 
 
The Bobcats earned 15 first-place finishes. 
 
"Great team win today with different people stepping up all over the place," head coach Mason Norman said. "This really was the stamp to the best winter training camp that we have ever had. We are going to enjoy this win and continue to build upon the excitement around our program right now."
 
The Bobcats opened the meet up strong, taking the top two spots in the 200-yard medley relay, with the Bobcats' 'A' squad finishing in 1:44.16 and the 'B' squad touching in at 1:45.54. 
 
After the opening relay, Ohio took two of the top-three spots in the 1,000-yard free, with sophomore Olivia Morlok (Columbus, Ind.) placing first (10:30.13) and fellow sophomore Morgan Croaning (Carmel, Ind.) finishing in third with a time of 10:35.74. 
 
Junior Emma Fortman (Madeira, Ohio) took first in the 200-yard free with a time of 1:53.33, while senior Athena Aravantinou (North Bethesda, Md.) finished second with a finishing time of 1:53.97. The Bobcats once again took the top-two spots in the 100-yard back, with sophomore Gabrielle Brust (Granville, Ohio) finishing first (56.67) and sophomore Riley Bunstine (Alexandria, Ohio) finishing in second at 57.45. 
 
Freshman Julia Strine (Shippensburg, Pa.) finished first in the 100-yard breaststroke, finishing the rave in 1:04.91. Fellow freshman Edie Sawyer (Cranberry Township, Pa.) finished third in 1:05.81. In the 200 fly, the Bobcats took the top three spots, with junior Madeline Marks (Bentonville, Ark.) finishing first (2:03.54), freshman Gabrielle McKee (Gilbertsville, Pa.) placing second (2:07.22) and sophomore Peyton Farrell (Beavercreek, Ohio) finishing in third place (2:07.53). 
 
Junior McKenzie Grau (Mason, Ohio) took the top spot in the 50-free, finishing in 23.43, while sophomore Caroline Dunigan (Lansdale, Pa.) finished third in 24.05. Grau and Dunigan repeated their finishes in the 100-yard free, with Grau finishing first in 51.15 and Dunigan finishing third in 52.77. 
 
Bunstine (2:03.08) and Aravantinou (2:04.89) took first and second, respectively in the 200-yard back, while Strine (2:24.96) and Sawyer (2:24.97) finished in second and third place in 200-yard breaststroke. 
 
McKee earned a first-place finish in the 500 free, touching in at 5:07.50, while Marks placed third in 5:09.07. Meanwhile, Brust once again picked up a victory in the 100-fly, finishing in 56 seconds flat. Junior Kendra Sheehan (Columbus, Ohio) finished third in 58.05. Brust picked up her third victory of the day in the 200-yard IM, finishing in 2:07.57. Brunstine placed second, touching in at 2:09.14. 
 
The Bobcats wrapped up the meet with the 400-yard freestyle relay, with the Bobcats' 'A' team taking first with a time of 3:30.57. 
 
In diving action, junior Halli Siwik (Fishers, Ind.) took first in the 1-meter event, earning a score of 277.43.). Siwik also took first in the 3-meter event, finishing with a score of 280.50. 
 
The Bobcats are back in action next weekend when the swimmers head to Akron, Ohio to take on the Zips on Jan. 14, while the divers head to Buffalo to compete in a diving event hosted by the Bulls, Jan. 13-15. 
 
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