In the first of four days of competition at the Mid-American Conference Swim and Dive Championships, Ohio came away with third-place finishes in both the 200 Medley Relay and 800 Freestyle Relay.
In the first event, the 200-yard Medley Relay, the teams were greeted by a raucous ovation from the energized crowd that packed the Aquatic Center. With two-time defending champions Akron taking a backseat early to Miami, there seemed to be a new champion soon to be crowned. A very strong second leg by Akron’s Sara Bozso put Akron in the lead. Miami did, however, close the gap considerably, but Akron emerged victorious by 0.1 seconds. Akron had a time of 1:37.44, while Miami narrowly finished second at 1:37.54. Ohio took third place with a 1:38.97 mark with Ball State, Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Toledo and Bowling Green following in that order.
Despite the third-place finish, Ohio Coach Mason Norman was rather encouraged with his team. Though the team did not win the event, they did break the school record for the 200-yard Medley Relay.
“We led off with three seniors on that relay,” Norman said. “They all swam phenomenally. That was the first time our school was under 1:39 on the 200-yard Medley Relay.”
From the start of the 800-yard Freestyle Relay, the same three teams, Akron, Miami and Ohio, led the pack by a wide margin. The three teams traded the lead for the first few laps as Ohio freshman Zita Szoke led for the first two laps. From there, Ohio faded slightly, never recapturing the lead again. However, Miami and Akron would remain the top two teams, although Ohio was not far behind. On the 12th lap, Akron finally reclaimed the lead, but it would be short-lived as Miami’s Greta Kolbeck slammed the door and finished the race over two seconds ahead of Akron.
Miami’s performance in the 800-yard Freestyle Relay was one to remember as it broke the MAC record overall as well as the MAC Championship record with its 7:06.15 time. Behind Miami, Akron and Ohio filed in and the rest of the field, Buffalo, Ball State, Eastern Michigan, Toledo and Bowling Green fell in line. Bowling Green finished last but was ultimately disqualified for leaving the board early.
Although it was outshined by the two teams ahead of it, Norman was again impressed with the performance of his team, specifically Zita Szoke.
“(Zita) Szoke, a freshman, led off and set a 200 freestyle school record,” Norman said. “As a team, they broke the school record in that event that was set back in 2009.”
Once again, despite the third-place finish, Ohio broke its second school record of the evening with a time of 7:11.43.
With the competition coming down to three teams: Akron, Miami and Ohio, the ability to steal points from the other teams becomes paramount. After the first day of competition, Akron and Miami are tied with 74 points apiece while Ohio is in third with 64 points. Despite the fact that it is early in the competition to place three teams above the rest, the margins for each team allow that statement to be made.
“It’s a three-horse race right now,” Norman said. “I think we’ve seen that all season long. We’re a very deep team and I think that when we get to the individual events … that’s especially where we thrive is just some of those swims where we can show off our depth.”
