Sports
Ohio Swim & Dive caps off their home meet in dominating fashion
By: Austin Yau
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – After a dominant first day, Ohio Swim and Dive (2-1) returned to the Aquatic Center for day two of their meet against Illinois State (1-2).
The day started with the 3-meter dive, which started the Bobcats off hot with another win by Astrid Pichardo who scored 314.85 points, the only diver to clear the 300 mark in the event.
In the 200-yard medley relay, Ohio took home all the podium spots, with the team of Lily Baumgartner, Zita Szoke, Jordan Claypoole and Tori Wittenburg swimming a 1:40 flat for the win.
Ashlyn Morr won the 500-yard freestyle race, just barely going over five minutes with a time of 5:00:83
In the short 50-yard freestyle, it was all Zita Szoke, who won with a 22.25, being the only swimmer to go below 23 seconds.
Lily Baumgartner put in two strong splits in the 100-yard backstroke as she took home the win in 54.82 seconds.
After a break, the meet continued with the 100-yard breaststroke. Julian Daigneault pulled away late to take home the win in 1:04.41
In the first heat of the following 100-yard butterfly, all the swimmers were Bobcats. Jana Macik took home the win in a tight race. Then in the second heat, Zita Szoke dominated, putting a massive gap ahead of her competitors, coasting to a 53.29-second win, four seconds ahead of teammate Jordan Claypoole in second.
That was followed by a packed 200-yard freestyle heat, with all 10 lanes filled. It was another victory for Ohio, as Ashlyn Morr led the pack, finishing with a time of 1:51.32
Then came the 400-yard individual medley. It was an incredibly tight race between Ohio’s Molly Gonzalez and Josie Marino, but Marino put in a great final freestyle leg of 29.35 seconds to take the win over her teammate in 4:28.41, the only swimmer under 4:30.
Day 2 finished with the 400-yard Freestyle relay. Ultimately, Ohio’s team of Szoke, Wittenberg, Morr and Katie Buroker took the win over the Bobcats’ team of Daigneault, Juliana Slaninka, Claypoole and Kollin Katrina in 3:22.50 seconds.
It was a dominant victory for the Bobcats, as they won the meet with a 293-57 final. Head Coach Mason Norman, who signed a four-year contract extension on Monday, spoke on the team’s mentality this season: “It’s really that process-oriented development. It’s not about the results; it’s about what you’re doing day in and day out. The next set, the next practice, that’s what’s most important.”
The Redbirds will host Marquette on Nov. 7 at noon for a dual meet.
The Bobcats will head to Marshall for a one-day dual meet on Nov. 6 at 2 p.m.