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AKRON Ohio – Junior
Zita Szoke won her third-straight 200-yard freestyle championship, as the Ohio swim and dive team continued action at the 2026 Mid-American Conference Championships on Friday (Feb. 27) inside the Oliver J. Ocasek Natatorium on the campus of Akron. Ohio sits in second place after day three with 360 points.
Akron continues to lead with 511.5 points, while Ball State (336.5), Buffalo (311) and Miami (311) sit just behind the Bobcats.
In the first event of the evening, the 100-yard butterfly, sophomore
Jordan Claypoole (Parkersburg, W. Va.) placed fifth overall with a time of 54.30. Freshman
Jana Macik (Aldie, Va.) finished first in the consolation final, ninth overall, with a time of 55.06, while freshman
Tori Wittenberg (Medford, N.J.) finished sixth in the consolation final, 14
th overall, touching in with a time of 55.67.
In the 400-yard IM, senior
Emily Ellsworth (Westerville, Ohio) placed first in the consolation finals, ninth overall, finishing with a time of 4:20.15, while senior
Morgan Brown (Fort Wayne, Ind.) finished right behind her in second-place, 10
th overall, touching in with a time of 4:22.47.
In the 200-yard freestyle, Szoke (Serbia, Becej) punched her ticket to the 2026 NCAA Championships, winning her third-straight MAC Championship in the event, finishing with a time of 1:44.82., anew Akron pool record. Freshman
Katrina Kollin (Dublin, Ohio) finished seventh with a time of 1:49.78, while freshman
Juliette Daigneault (Scottsdale, Ariz.) finished first in the consolation finals, ninth overall, touching in with a time of 1:48.87.
In the 200-yard breaststroke, senior
Casadie DiBetta (St. Clairsville, Ohio) finished in second place, finishing in 59.78, setting a new school record in the event.
In the 100-yard backstroke, junior
Melanie Schweikert (Maineville, Ohio) placed fifth with a time of 53.32, followed by freshman
Lily Baumgartner (Ada, Ohio) in sixth with a time of 53.81. Senior
Allison Schrank (Blaine, Minn.) finished third in the consolation finals, 11
th overall, touching in at 54.38.
In the 3-meter dive consolation finals, freshman
Bella Basford (Cincinnati, Ohio) placed third in the consolation finals, 11
th overall, finishing with a score of 251.50.
In the final event of the night, the 200-yard freestyle relay, the Ohio team of Wittenberg, Szoke, Claypoole and junior
Katie Buroker (Zionsville, Ind.) placed second with a time of 1:29.70, a new Ohio school record, breaking the previous record set in 2011.
Up next, the Bobcats conclude the 2026 MAC Championships on Saturday, Feb. 28. Prelims are set to begin at 10 a.m. ET, followed by finals at 6 p.m. ET. Both sessions can be seen on ESPN+.
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