It was down to the final freestyle relay at Cooper Pool and the score was tied.
The winner of the 800-yard freestyle relay between BGSU and Ohio University on Saturday would be the winner of this intense Mid-American Conference meet.
In the end, Ohio won by almost six seconds, winning the meet 153-144.
“We knew that Bowling Green is a very good program,” OU coach Greg Werner said. “This team is very talented and both teams are very evenly matched. It’s a complete team effort when it gets down to the final relay.”
BG coach Keri Buff felt the same way about the visiting Bobcats.
“It was a team effort completely,” Buff said. “It took every last swim and dive to get it down to a tie. It was everybody.”
Even though this was a tough loss for Bowling Green, it was one of its best swims of the season. Throughout this meet, BG shined in every swimming and diving event and gave OU some dangerous competition. BG seniors, Dana Schultz and Stephanie Buckner, were among the top finishers in every event they competed in.
Schultz took home two individual wins in the 100 and 200-yard Butterfly events and Buckner took first place in the 50-yard Freestyle event and second in the 100-yard Freestyle. Werner said there really wasn’t one individual his team was looking for when they faced BG, but these two did stand out.
“Dana Schultz is doing very well this season and Stephanie Buckner is the defending freestyle champion,” Werner said. “But we look at the championships, and the dual meets are here to prepare us for the MAC’s.”
Buff also sees these meets as stepping-stones to the MAC Championships.
“We both have similar philosophies,” Buff said, referring to Werner. “This is a step in our season, one of many. Both teams train their tails off.”
BG freshman, Alisha Yee, who won five individual events previous to this meet, also had top finishes in the events she competed in. Yee, who is from New Mexico, knows the high standards that her team has for this season and has really made an impact on the team’s performance.
“I think the team did really awesome,” she said. “There were a lot of wins and everyone put their heart into it. “We have really big goals and with the way we train, I’m really looking forward to the end of the season.”
Added Buff: “She is awesome. Yee is an incredible addition to our program. We are very lucky to have her.”
In this meet, BG gained the motivation it needs for the MAC Championships. OU is a solid program and BG showed its strength as well on Saturday.
“I think this [meet] is a huge confidence booster. It shows we can do it, we can swim against these teams,” Yee said.
