YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio —The Bobcats conquered the challenges of swimming on the road that coach Greg Werner had stressed all week, as they dominated Youngstown State Sunday for their third straight victory.
Ohio got off to a hot start by winning the first five events of the day and went on to win 10 of 13 total events in the 145-96 decision. Freshman Michelle Gasior paced the Bobcats with wins in the 500- and 1,000- yard freestyle races.
Werner said he was pleased with the results though some swimmers did not post their top times.
“I went back and looked at how they got to their times and they split them very well, so that’s really what I have to look at on a same day travel,” Werner said.
“Not necessarily the end result but how did we get to the end result.”
The Bobcats’ matchup with the Penguins marked their first Sunday dual meet this season. Most meets take place on Fridays or Saturdays.
“It’s really, really different, because Sunday is our day to sleep in, relax and recharge our batteries,” senior Abby Corcoran said.
Ohio has to have a quick turnaround, with a home meet Tuesday against Marshall. The Bobcats will try to keep the Thundering Herd at bay and protect their perfect start to the 2012 part of the season. Marshall enters the meet coming off a loss to Mid-American Conference for Akron. Werner said the Bobcats would keep their routine despite swimming on short rest.
“They’ll be fine. I think they understand what they’re getting into and know the objective and taking advantage of an opportunity to move them forward,” Werner said.
He said the meet against Marshall is another opportunity to prepare the Bobcats for the MAC Championships.
Marshall will come to the Aquatic Center as a more rested squad. The Thundering Herd swam Friday but had not faced competition since Dec. 3.
“They’re going to test us, and we want to be tested,” Corcoran said. “So we’re tired, but we’re also excited and we’re going to do what we can do.”
The other aspect of the Marshall meet is the rivalry side due to the proximity of the two schools and long traditions between the two across many sports. Ohio won the matchup last year 132-87, but Werner said the Thundering Herd returns most of its top swimmers, who have improved since last season.
“Because of the amount of years that we compete against each other, a rivalry does establish itself,” Werner said. “Because of that, our team will be excited and I know their team will be excited as well.”
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