Photo Credit: Eastern Michigan Athletics
YPSILANTI – The Eastern Michigan women’s swimming and diving team won nine of 16 events en route to a 195-103 win over Mid American Conference rival Ohio on Saturday afternoon.
Eastern Michigan Press Release
The Eastern Michigan University women’s swimming and diving team kept on its torrid pace for the start of the 2014-15 season, taking down Mid-American Conference opponent Ohio University, Nov. 1. Less than 24 hours after downing reigning MAC Champions the University of Akron, the Eagles turned in a 195-103 victory over the Bobcats inside the friendly confines of Jones Natatorium.
The Eagles won 9-of-16 events, but it was the Green and White’s consistency across the board that really helped bolster the team’s score. The Eagles were exceptionally dominant in the freestyle sprints and mid-distance races. Becca Detro (Carmel, Ind.-Carmel) remained perfect on the weekend in the 100 and 200 free after sweeping the races against both Akron and Ohio. Detro’s mark of 52.43 seconds paced a 1-2-3 sweep in the 100 free, followed by Sierra Wagner (Huntsville, Texas-Huntsville) in 52.58 and Mary Kate MacLean (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-Detroit Country Day) in 52.90 seconds. Detro also paced the team in the 200 free with a time of 1:52.24, barely out-touching teammate Grace Van Allen (Indianapolis, Ind.-North Central), who claimed runner-up in 1:52.60.
MacLean was the top finisher in the 50 free in a season-best 23.89 seconds, and also led a sweep of the top-three finishes. Sara Ghaffari (Bolinas, Sweden-Torsbergsgynasiet) was the only other swimmer to swim a sub-24-second race in 23.97 seconds, and Makenzie Garringer (Napoleon, Ohio-Napoleon) finished third in 24.50 seconds. Van Allen continued her stellar performances in the 500 free with another victory, taking her third title of the season in 5:02.19 while Carly Jackson (La Porte, Ind.-La Porte) finished second in 5:04.73.
The breaststroke and butterfly events were split between the Bobcats and the Eagles, with Jackson and Monica Dorszewski (Palatine, Ill.-Palatine) picking up a win apiece. Jackson won her third 200 fly in as many appearances this season, touching in first in 2:06.51 to pace Jessie Godlewski (Apex, N.C.-Apex) for a second-place finish and Clarice Daniel (Belcamp, Md.-Homeschool) for third. The freshman did not compete in the 100 fly like she did in the meet against Akron, but instead competed in the 500 free that directly preceded the 100 fly. In her absence, Godlewski had the top spot for the Eagles in 57.66 seconds, just .12 seconds behind Ohio’s Addy Ferguson for the winning finish.
Dorszewski won the 200 breast in 2:22.53 and was followed up by Genna Worthley (Portland, Maine-Deering) in 2:25.37 for the runner-up finish. Tori Bagan led the Bobcats to the win in the 100 breast in a clear victory, as her mark was more than two seconds faster than Emily Wimmer (Hammond, Ind.-Munster)’s second-place time of 1:05.13.
The Eagles took second-place finishes in a number of individual events as well. In the 1000 free, Audra Burtch (Goshen, Ind.-Concord) led Eastern’s swimmers with a time of 10:35.76. The team also saw Alexis Mitcheltree (Moon Twp., Pa.-Moon Area) take second in both backstroke events once more, finishing the 100 back in 57.48 and touching in at 2:06.92 for the 200 back. The 200 IM, which has been a controlled effort by a different member of the Green and White throughout the young season, was paced by Van Allen in 2:09.39.
In the diving events, the Eagles put in an all-freshman lineup. Becky Deacon (Sherwood Park, Alberta-Vimy Ridge Academy) earned her second diving win of her career with 288.08 points. Finishing second was Alli Shereda (Fraser, Mich.-Fraser) with 215.63 points, and Mattie Boucha (Northville, Mich.-Northville) took third with 205.80 points. The 3-meter dive was led by Deacon in her debut 3-meter performance of her EMU career. Deacon won by a wide margin with 285.83 points, while Shereda took third with 199.34 points. Emily Tubbs (Monroe, Mich.-Monroe) earned a fourth-place finish with 197.10 points.
The meet ended with a victory for the Green and White, with Wagner, MacLean, Ghaffari, and Jackson teaming up for a 3:32.20 victory in the 400 free relay. The lineup of Detro, Mitcheltree, Godlewski, and Abby Saddler (Chanhassen, Minn.-Minnetonka) took second in the meet-ending race, finishing in 3:34.94.
Next week’s meet will feature two more opponents for the Eagles when the team travels to nearby Rochester, Mich. for a double dual meet against host school Oakland University and MAC opponent Bowling Green State University. The meet will start at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8.
Ohio Press Release
The Ohio women’s swimming and diving team fell 195-103 to Eastern Michigan this afternoon (Nov. 1).
The ‘Cats won seven of 16 events, starting off winning the 200-yard medley relay in a time of 1:44.78. The relay was comprised of Addison Ferguson (Westfield Center, Ohio), Tori Bagan (Roanoke, Ind.), Laura Dawson (Newcastle Upon Tyne, Eng.), and Haley Clark (College Station, Texas).
Bianca Hauzer (Bedfordview, South Africa) followed in her teammates’ footsteps, winning gold in the 1,000-yard freestyle with a time of 10:28.58.
Laura Dawson continued to perform strongly for the Bobcats, with a third-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:52.89. Ferguson then followed Dawson with a first-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke, finishing the race in 56.78. The winning streak continued for Ohio, with Bagan winning 100-yard breaststroke in 1:03.62.
Later in the meet, Dawson finished in first-place in the 200-yard backstroke. She finished the race with a time of 2:01.83. She was joined by her teammate Myriah Ariza-Balter (Evergreen, Colo.), who finished in third-place with a time of 2:07.50.
As the competition continued, Bagan earned third in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:25.45. Hauzer then followed suit, taking third in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:08.56.
In the final events, the ‘Cats continued to compete strongly, with Ferguson finishing first in the 100-yard butterfly in 57.54. Meanwhile, Dawson won her final race of the day, taking gold in the 200-yard individual medley in 2:08.68.
To complete the meet, the quartet of Hauzer, Bagan, Ariza-Balter, and Katie Lemen (Carmel, Ind.) won third-place in the 400-yard freestyle relay, with a time of 3:38.21.
Freshman diver Karrisa Conner (Granite Bay, Calif.) took second place in the one-meter diving event, with a final score of 219.29.
The Bobcats will compete next at Marshall University in Huntington, W. Va. on Nov. 14.
Results: Ohio vs. Eastern Michigan