After a narrow defeat to Buffalo on Friday, the Falcon swim team lost another heartbreaker Saturday afternoon to Akron.
After 32 events in a 24-hour period the Falcons can now look forward to their final meet of the season, the Mid-American Conference Championships which will be held at the Bowling Green Natatorium Feb. 25-28.
“It was a very tough weekend,” assistant coach Mark Howard said. “A lot of close races, which is what you want to see at these meets. We have some very tired swimmers.”
The Falcons started out strong as the team of Sarah Burston, Alisha Yee, Carrie Enright and Meg Richardson won the 200-yard medley relay, taking an early lead in the meet.
The Falcons would have to wait until the fifth event of the meet to see another first place finish as Richardson continued her winning ways in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:07.45.
The dual meet was the last for the senior Yee, who was again dominant in the 200-yard backstroke, winning easily.
Asked about her BG career beginning to wind down, the All-MAC selection said it felt strange.
“It’s very surreal,” Yee said. “A lot sadder than I thought it would be.”
Yee’s performance in the 200-yard backstroke has been sensational this season, as she has won 71 percent of the events and has never had worse than a fourth place finish in MAC meets.
“Some of my times this weekend have been faster than they have been all season,” Yee said. “My body, especially my legs, needs some rest, but I think I am set up well for the MAC Championship.”
The coaching staff could not be more proud of Yee and all her accomplishments.
“Alisha has meant so much to this program, every aspect of it,” said head coach Keri Buff.
But if a passing of the torch seems clich’eacute;, there was no better time to use it than over the weekend as freshman Vicky Yu showed once again that she may be one of the best young swimmers in the conference, winning all three individual events she swam.
“That’s why we brought her all the way over here from China,” Howard said. “We want her to come in here and make a massive impact.”
The swim of the day came in the 200-yard breaststroke when freshmen Amanda Rom and Katie Womack went head-to-head, blowing by the field and making it a match race.
Rom, who lead for the first 175 yards of the race, began to fade as Womack was able to out-touch her at the wall by 23 hundredths of a second.
The mutual admiration was evident as the victorious Womack congratulated her teammate on a hard fought race.
The crowd showed their appreciation as well applauding, loudly for the two swimmers as they exited the pool.
Womack, who swam two personal best times and nearly a third, was all smiles after the meet.
“I just started training for the breaststroke this year, I think that is why my times are getting so much better,” Womack said.
Asked if she thought she was peaking too early Womack said she was unsure.
“I am just going to dig down and do my best,” Womack said. “We will see when it comes to the MAC Championships.”
The coaches were more than pleased with the freshman’s performance.
“She was definitely the swimmer of the week,” Buff said. “She had so many personal bests.”
As for the competition, the Falcons once again came up short, but if it’s any consolation, the Falcons actually out-pointed the Zips in the swimming portion of the meet.
It was the diving portion of the competition where the Falcons’ lead vanished, although they were up against some of the best divers in the MAC.
“We were up against some tough divers today,” said diving coach Dave Anderson. “But this is a rebuilding year for the dive program, with all freshmen.”
“We actually had some good dives, and we had three personal bests this weekend. The divers will be ready for the MAC Championship.”
The Falcons still had a shot at winning the meet as the teams lined up for the 400-yard freestyle relay, which was the last event of the day.
“We needed to finish first and third to pull it out,” Howard said.
Unfortunately for the Falcons, it wasn’t to be as they could only muster a second and a fourth place finish, sealing the win for Akron.
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