Ohio will use the University of Louisville Invite to see where they are as compared to the top programs.
Even though there's no measuring sticks in the pool, Ohio will use this weekend’s University of Louisville Invite to gauge where it's at in terms of skill.
“This mid-season invite, in general, is kind of a time to measure where we’re at,” Ohio coach Rachel Komisarz-Baugh said. “(We can see) how well we’ve trained up to this point, what do we still need to work on, what works and does not work for us, and we can make those adjustments going into the next part of the season before conference (play).”
Komisarz-Baugh said when her swimmers can compete with nationally ranked athletes, some of which will be at the Louisville Invite this weekend, it gives her team confidence.
"It is an opportunity to get back to the drawing board and see what we can do a little better to get there," she said.
Komisarz-Baugh said she has seen a well-rounded Bobcat team so far this season and hopes to see that continue into the mid-season invite. Ohio will race host Louisville, Wright State, Illinois State and Kenyon College this weekend.
The second-year coach said she is expecting strong, long-distance performances in Bianca Hauzer, Ana Henderson and sprints from Addison Ferguson and Corrin Van Lanen. Van Lanen was recently named Mid-American Conference swimmer of the week for her performance against Marshall and has won all four of her 50-yard freestyle events.
“We should see a pretty good amount of lifetime best times, and we should be significantly faster than we have been in season,” Komisarz-Baugh said. “Overall, I’m just looking for great performances from the team, and that ‘get-up-and-fight’ we’ve been working on and get our hands on the wall.”
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The diving section of the Bobcats has steadily improved throughout the early portion of the season, as they won both the 3-meter and 1-meter dive events in their last meet against Marshall.
“They are doing amazing,” Komisarz-Baugh said. “(Diving coach) Chelsea (Ale) has brought some pretty innovative ideas, and they’re doing things they have never done before. It is a lot tougher training than what they are used to, and I think it’s really paying off for them. I don’t know a whole lot about diving, but I know when they hit the water and it’s clean and pretty, that they’re making some pretty big improvements.”
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