Ohio State Dominates Kentucky, Akron (Women) in Season Opener
The Kentucky Wildcats swim and dive teams plus the women from Akron visited Columbus, Ohio, Saturday to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes, and this one was all Scarlet and Gray as OSU’s women won 218-80 over Kentucky and the men earned a 191-107 win. Ohio State beat Akron 224-74 while Kentucky’s women beat Akrom 172.5-127.5.
Ohio State went 1-2 to open the meet in the 200 medley relay, with Nyak Funderburke, Maria Ramos, Katherine Zenick and Teresa Ivan finishing in 1:39.14. Mila Nikanorov led a 1-2-3-4 finish in the 1000 freestyle, touching in 9:42.80, and Sienna Angove did the same with a time of 1:49.37 in the 200 free. Funderburke won the 100 backstroke (54.38), followed by Ramos winning the 100 breaststroke (1:02.34).
Ivan topped the 50 free (22.99), and Erin Little won the 100 free (50.16). Delia Lloyd was the winner in the 200 back (1:58.12), followed by Ava DeAngelis winning the 200 breast (2:16.31). Nikanorov won her second race of the day in the 500 free (4:50.18), with Zenick (100 butterfly, 55.48) and Angove (4:18.61) completing the individual slate of events with wins.
In diving, Lena Hentschel won on 3-meter (347.05), and Paola Pineda won on 1-meter (313.75). Kentucky’s women did not get any individual wins, but Akron got one from Abby Daniel in the 200 fly (2:01.17). Zenick, Ivan, Little and Rachel Bockrath finished well ahead of the field in the 400 free relay (3:20.44).
The men’s meet saw Matthew Klinge, Karl Helmuth, Evan Fentress and Daniel Baltes win the 200 medley relay in 1:27.51. Tomas Navikonis clocked 1:34.53 to win the 200 free, and Buckeye freshman went 1-2 in the 100 back with Cornelius Jahn (48.94) and Martin Perecinsky (49.15). Helmuth was the winner of the 100 breast (55.49), and Baltes broke 20 for the win in the 50 free (19.95).
Navikonis continued his impressive day with a strong time of 43.63 in the 100 free, and Perecinsky doubled up in the 200 back (1:46.54). Tristan Jankovics won the 200 breast (1:58.80) and 400 IM (3:52.73), and Fentress claimed an individual win in the 100 fly (48.13).
In diving, Tyler Read won on 3-meter (395.90) and 1-meter, and the men’s 400 free relay went to the team of Navikonis (who led off in 43.18), Fentress, Mario McDonald and Baltes in 2:55.95.
Kentucky started out strong in the individual events, with Carson Hick (9:02.15) and Levi Sandidge (9:03.85) recording a 1-2 finish in the 1000 free. Ryan Merani won the 200 fly (1:45.62), and Hick won again in the 500 free (4:24.87).