After a 12-day break from competition, Ohio will be well rested and prepared for this weekend’s H2Okie Invitational at Virginia Tech, which is the Bobcats’ lone non-dual meet of the season.
The tournament, which is held in Christiansburg, Va. will feature three days of competition, as Ohio will match up against Liberty, William & Mary, South Carolina, Virginia Tech and UConn.
The Bobcats have been training for what coach Derick Roe called “race rehearsals,” as their practices they have been at a high tempo in order to prepare themselves for the meet that will have them in the pool twice a day.
“We are doing broken swims, trying to best replicate race scenarios, and we are training twice a day, so we are kind of already used to doing stuff in the morning and in the afternoon,” Roe said.
Ohio’s intense training has helped the Bobcats remain focused and ready for a meet that, as senior swimmer Rachel Stearns said, is similar to a practice round for the Mid-American Conference Championships.
“It is nice to have those breaks to work on your races,” Stearns said. “It’s not hard to stay focused, it’s almost nice because you can focus on more fundamentals in the water.”
The Bobcats have also tried to remain focused during their time, as the coaching staff has made sure that the team is not only working hard but also resting.
“A lot of (focus) is mental toughness,” Roe said. “If I see someone who just swam and ten minutes later they are back in the team area, I’m gonna send them back to the warm down pool.”
Virginia Tech, the host team, has competed against 11 schools this year, compared to the Bobcats’ four opponents. The Hokies swam against two ranked teams including Ohio State and Notre Dame, but lost to each. However, Virginia Tech scored 2.5 more points than Ohio did against Ohio State.
“I think it has been a great start,” Roe said. “I don’t even look at the Ohio State meet as a set back. To go to a top 20 team and walk away with five individual event wins was huge.”
The prelims for every event will be held Thursday, during the first day of competition.
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