The Mid-American Conference Championships have arrived. In a three day event that will be taking place in Cooper Pool at Bowling Green State University, the women’s swimming and diving team has come to their final meet.
This is like the World Series in baseball, the NBA finals in basketball and the Super Bowl in football; this is for all the marbles in the MAC.
The events will start today and run until Saturday. Each day will consist of preliminary finals in the morning followed by the finals in the evening, with the top eight advancing.
Certain events will be taking place on certain days in order to complete the events in three days.
“We are ready to show these teams that we can race,” said Agnew. “The prelims start at 11 a.m. with the finals at 7 p.m. that same night.”
The teams that are competing in this championship are the teams from all over the MAC. Miami University, University of Akron, University of Toledo, Ball State University, Eastern Michigan University, Ohio University, University at Buffalo, Marshall University and BG will all compete for the top honors at this years event.
“Miami and Ohio University are battling for number one and and Toledo and EMU are right behind them,” head coach Keri Buff said. “We were 8th last year at MAC’s and are goal is to be in the top six this year.”
This goal is within grasp if the Falcons can swim some of their best times that they have had all year.
Today’s events consist of the 200 freestyle relay, the 500-yard freestyle, the 200 individual medley, the 50-yard freestyle, the 1-meter diving and the 400 medley relay.
The relays will be a final event in the morning and they will not swim again in the evening.
In the 500 freestyle event Jessica Humes is seated eighth overall followed by Kelley O’Hara at 11th and Kara Ohngren seated 20th.
In the 200 IM event, Erin Dilkes and Stephanie Cummings are 13 seconds off the top seated time.
In the 50 free Stephanie Buckner and Alissa Davies are seated 13th and 14th where only .4 seconds separates them from the top time. In the 1-meter diving event, five BG divers rank in and around the top 20.
The Falcons have had a two-to -three week taper session where they have rested their bodies more and their yardage in practice has gone down. They relax their body to be able to perform better then they have all season.
“You have to take it day by day and listen to what your body is telling you and really just try to concentrate on those things,” Sarah Agnew said. “We are really excited and ready to swim fast.”
Tomorrow the events include the 200 medley relay, 400 IM, 100-yard butterfly, 200-yard freestyle, 100-yard breaststroke, 100-yard backstroke, 3-meter diving and the 800-yard freestyle relay.
The Falcons are in good spots to move into the finals in the evenings.
Agnew is seated at 13th in the 400 IM and fifth in the 100 breaststroke.
Ohngren is 17th in the 400 IM while Dana Schultz is seated in the top 10 in the butterfly event and O’Hara is 10th in the 200 free and Humes 20th.
Tina Sestan is seated 16th in the backstroke.
Saturday is the last day of competition and will hold the last seven events.
The 1650-yard freestyle, 200-yard backstroke, 100-yard freestyle, 200-yard breaststroke, 200-yard butterfly, platform diving and the 400-yard freestyle relay.
This is the last day where the Falcons can move up in points and this day seems to be one of the best.
Agnew is seated first in the 200-yard breaststroke event with a time 2:19.58 almost one second ahead of the second place time. Buckner is also seated second in the 100-yard freestyle and is followed close with O’Hara and Humes. Schultz is seated sixth in the 200 fly.
