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ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio swimming and diving team returned to action on Friday (Jan. 31) for the first half of their final regular season dual meet against Eastern Michigan. 
 
In the first event of the night, the 1-meter dive, sophomore Astrid Pichardo (Guanajuato, Mexico) placed first with a score of 277.88, while sophomore Stephanie Balthaser (Delaware, Ohio) placed second with a score of 255.00. Senior Sophie Cooper (Milford, Ohio) picked up a fifth-place finish in the event, recording a score of 234.23. 
 
In the first swim event of the night, the 200-yard free relay, the Ohio 'A' Team of sophomore Zita Szoke (Hodmezovasarhely, Hungary), graduate student Caroline Dunigan (Lansdale, Pa.), sophomore Katie Buroker (Zionsville, Ind.) and junior Allison Schrank (Blaine, Minn.) took first place, finishing with a time of 1:31.68. Szoke's 50 split of 22.17 set a new Ohio pool and school record. 
 
In the 200 IM, the Bobcats took the top four spots with junior Emily Ellsworth (Westerville, Ohio) placing first with a time of 2:03.23. Junior Morgan Brown (Roanoke, Ind.) placed second with a time of 2:05.51, while senior Julia Strine (Shippensburg, Pa.) finished third (2:05.87) and senior Raphaelle Anglade (Toulouse, France) placed fourth (2:08.10). 
 
In the 500 free, senior Gabrielle McKee (Gilbertsville, Pa.) placed first, touching in with a time of 4:51.81, followed by junior Anna McGrath (Lewis Center, Ohio) in second (4:57.63), junior Peyton Binns (Hudson, Ohio) in fifth (5:01.60) and sophomore Ashley Sallows (Delaware, Ohio) in sixth (5:01.69).
 
In the 200-yard breaststroke, junior Casadie DiBetta (St. Clairsville, Ohio) placed first with a time of 2:12.16, followed by Ellsworth in second with a time of 2:15.37. Senior Edie Sawyer (Cranberry Township, Pa.) picked up a fourth-place finish, touching in with a time of 2:19.83, while Strine finished fifth (2:21.85)
 
Ohio took the top four spots in the 200 back, starting with sophomore Melanie Schweikert (Maineville, Ohio) who placed first with a time of 2:00.23. Freshman Juliana Slaninka finished second (2:01.05), while Schrank placed third (2:02.16) and Brown in fourth (2:02.24). 
 
McKee picked up the first-place finish in the 200 fly, touching in with a time of 2:02.25. Freshman Melissa Blaine (Cape Coral, Fla.) placed second (2:05.63), followed by freshman Darby Murlin (Shaker Heights, Ohio) in third (2:07.03) and freshman Maddie Berg in fourth with a time of 2:07.77. 
 
Szoke took first place in the 100 free, finishing the race with a time of 48.12, followed by Dunigan in second (50.50) and Buroker in third with a time of 51.79. 
 
In the final event of the night, the 400 medley relay, the Ohio 'A' team of Schrank, DiBetta, Szoke and Dunigan placed first with a time of 3:39.59. 
 
Up next, the Bobcats wrap up the second half of the dual meet against EMU on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 11 a.m. The day will also be the Bobcats' Senior Day, with a pre-meet ceremony set to begin around 10:45 a.m. The ceremony and the meet can be seen on ESPN+. 
 
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