Sports
MAC Champ Miami Owns Ohio In Its Own Pool
By: Abbey Carnivale
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After a dominating performance the day before against Xavier, Ohio Swimming and Diving returned to the waters again Saturday. The Bobcats will return home after a disappointing defeat against Miami University, 186-111.
“We should’ve done a little better today, coming in to a nice pool like this,” interim head coach Derick Roe said.
Miami’s facility, the Nixon Aquatic Center, towered over many of the pools Ohio has competed in this season. Alongside the main pool was a separate diving well that housed the diving competition.
The Ohio swimmers got off to a solid start, winning the 400-yard individual medley relay and the 1,000-yard freestyle. Yet, the Bobcats were unable to maintain their early lead.
The ‘Cats, with the exception of their typical powerhouses, Laurin Williams and Addy Ferguson, struggled to earn consistent finishes.
Both earned first in two events, Williams with the 1,000- and 500-yard freestyle, then Ferguson with the 100- and 200-yard backstroke.
Miami’s Nikki Craft took the top spot in both the 1- and 3-meter dive. Ohio’s diving team followed behind, earning the next three spots on the podium.
“We’ll have a nice meeting on the bus on the way home. We’ll talk about focusing in on this final home stretch here,” Roe said. “We have two and a half weeks until the MAC meet … and we’re going to meet again Monday morning before we start practices.”
The Green and White will now enter a part of their season focused on rejuvenating their bodies through what they call the “tapering” process. This consists of the swimmers gradually cutting back on their yardage by more than half to ensure that they are in best physical condition for the Mid-American Conference Championships.
The 2013 MAC winners, the RedHawks, now hold an 8-0 MAC record, compared to Ohio’s 2-3 mark. Ohio’s last conference victory was against Buffalo on Nov.2.
The MAC Championships begin on Feb. 28 at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.