Ohio will travel to Youngstown State Sunday for its first road match of 2012.
Road meets bring the challenge of swimming in unfamiliar waters outside the comfortable setting of the Aquatic Center.
But coach Greg Werner said he likes to challenge his team by taking the Bobcats outside their comfort zone.
“I want that to be an adverse environment. I want them to be tired. I want them to be a little sluggish and learn what they have to do to overcome that,” Werner said.
Ohio will face a Youngstown State squad that might or might not be in top shape for the meet. The Penguins have a meet Saturday against St. Francis (Pa.) on the road.
Werner said Youngstown State might be tired or very motivated for its second meet in as many days. He said the team’s long winter break will prove to be a tough test for Ohio because it gave the Penguins the chance to work out kinks from earlier in the season. But Ohio is not the same team that it was two months ago, either, thanks to its own training camp.
“While we had some great results first half of the year, we are a much different team now than we were back in November,” Werner said. “I’m really happy with what I’ve seen up to this point in the year. First and foremost, I’ve seen our team grow closer together and become more united. I don’t have to prod them or put them in an environment where they will support each other. They do it naturally.”
Youngstown State is seeking its second win of the season, as it is coming off a sixth-place finish out of 10 teams at the Radford Invitational.
Werner said his swimmers and divers will need to perform at a consistent level to escape Youngstown with a win under their belts.
“It’s a long drive, not an easy place to get to, and it wears on your body a little bit,” Werner said. “So we’re going to have to be ready to go if we want to come home with a win.”
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