BGSU women’s swim and dive (8-0, 2-0) put together one of its strongest dual-meet weekends of the season, powering past The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros (2-3, 0-0) with a 373-161 victory across two days at Cooper Pool. From relay dominance to emerging mid-season speed, the Falcons controlled the meet from start to finish and showcased the depth of their team.
Day One Highlights
The Falcons set the tone Friday night, jumping out to a massive 114-33 lead while wearing blue caps in recognition of World Diabetes Day. Bowling Green swept the podium in eight events, setting an aggressive tone from the start.
The relay teams initiated the charge, with senior Emily McNicol, freshman Corine Rieskamp, and sophomore Karina Solera, touching first in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:45.27. The team’s depth was immediately apparent, as BGSU’s remaining relay squads claimed second and a tie for third.
The divers were equally effective. Junior Natalia Mayorga won the 3-meter dive with a season-best 319.50, followed by graduate student Elise Snyder (287.55) and sophomore Claire Werner (254.63) to complete the sweep.
In the sprint pool, McNicol won the 50-yard backstroke in a blistering 25.24, while freshman Lauren Jablonski won the 50-yard backstroke (29.59). Solera also secured a win in the 50-yard butterfly (25.59), while sophomore Samia Becdach closed out the individual sprints with a personal best in the 100-yard IM (58.03).
The first night concluded with another relay win, as McNicol, junior Sierra Newton, sophomore Eva Nixon, and sophomore Annie Berrow combined for a winning time of 3:43.33 in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
Day Two Highlights
Returning to Cooper Pool Saturday morning, the Falcons maintained their momentum and put the meet out of reach.
The morning began with a victory in the 400-yard medley relay, with a time of 3:50.37 from McNicol, Rieskamp, Berrow, and senior Grace Bodrock. The distance swimmers then swept the 1650 freestyle, led by freshman Caroline Toledo (17:34.01), junior Lourdes Manderfield (17:54.03), and senior Morgan Sokol (18:13.88).
The Falcons saw success in the 200 freestyle and butterfly, with Becdach (1:53.58) and junior Alexandra Johnson (1:06.22) each taking first in their events. McNicol added another individual win in the 50 freestyle (24.36).
While the Falcons didn’t claim the top spot on the 1-meter board, strong finishes from Mayorga (second, 293.48) and Snyder (third, 266.70) added crucial points before Bodrock regained control for the Falcons in the 100 freestyle (52.89).
BGSU then further extended its lead as McNicol won the 200 backstroke in 2:03.06, Rieskamp captured the 200 breaststroke in 2:27.19, and Solera claimed the 500 freestyle (5:13.78). Becdach then returned to the top with a 57.93 in the 100 butterfly.
Athlete Standouts
One of the standout performers from the weekend was McNicol, with various individual wins and an early NIC A cut.
“Getting the NIC A cut now, at this point in the season, is a huge accomplishment, and it’s a testament to how hard she’s been working in the water and in the weight room,” head coach Tanner Barton said. “She’s swimming extremely well because she’s training extremely well, and it’s gonna be fun to watch her throughout the rest of the season.”
Coach Barton also highlighted the depth of the team, explaining how hard they are working.
“We have some great depth right now, and it was fun to watch our swimmers compete in primary events and secondary events,” Barton said. “They were really getting after it, and the results speak for themselves.”
Program Momentum and Looking Ahead
The team’s commanding performance not only resulted in a decisive victory but also tied the best start in program history, underscoring the success of the new culture established by the coaching staff and athletes.
“To be honest, it’s hard to articulate what it means to this program,” said Barton on the team’s current trajectory. “This program, while we’ve had a really rich history and tradition, there’s been some great years and there’s been some years where we haven’t been reaching our full potential. What this group of ladies has bought into is really taking effect.”
Barton emphasized the importance of sustaining that buy-in and carrying it into every meeting, regardless of the opponent.
“To be able to ensure that they are competing in conference meets, non-conference meets, and also securing team victories,” Barton said. “It’s a huge testament to what they’ve been doing.”
As the Falcons prepare for their next invitational, the focus shifts from dual-meet domination to fine-tuning technical details for the multi-team format.
“We talked a lot going into this weekend about our racing strategies,” Barton explained. “How are we swimming the races? How are we going out in that first lap? How are we coming home and finishing? We worked on race strategies so next week we can implement our race strategies to a T.”
Barton is confident the team is ready for the challenge, saying, “I feel like the ladies, and based on what the coaching staff and I saw, they’re executing the race strategies, and now they’ll know exactly what to do going into that multi-team invite on Thursday.”
The Falcons travel to Cleveland, OH, for the Magnus Cup Invitational, hosted by Cleveland State, Thursday, Nov. 20, to Saturday, Nov. 22.
