Eastern Michigan vs. Ohio

ATHENS, Ohio, February 6. OHIO Swimming and Diving (10-2, 5-2 Mid-American Conference) won its seventh consecutive dual meet in 2009-10 and its 18th in a row inside the friendly confines of the Aquatic Center on Saturday by beating the Eastern Michigan Eagles by a final score of 151-149.

The pulse-pounding contest came down to the final event, as the 'Cats clinched the victory by finishing second and third in the 800 Free Relay. "That's one of the things we focused on after the competition," said head coach Greg Werner. "You can never have too many situations where your back is against the wall and you are challenged. That will pay huge dividends in the future."

The Bobcats started of the meet by taking first in the 200 Medley Relay. The team of Sarah Owen (Portsmouth, England), Allison Schaefer (Medina, Ohio), Rachel Heim (San Diego, Calif.) and Annie Donovan (Findlay, Ohio) took first with a 2009-10 team-best time of 1:44.64. Eastern Michigan (5-6, 3-4 MAC) answered back by taking 11 points in the 1000 Freestyle, pulling within six points at 21-15. Heim and Caitlin Drozin (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) set season-bests in the 200 Free, taking first and fourth, respectively, to help Ohio increase its lead to nine points. Heim finished with a 1:53.11 and Drozin touched in 1:56.96.

The Eagles edged their way back into the picture in the 100 Backstroke, taking 13 total points in the event to pull within two at 38-36. Owen had a solid race in this event, taking second place with a season-best time of 58.26. Ohio conceded the lead after the 10th event of the day, the 200 Backstroke. Eastern's Sarah Maraskine took first and Leeza Moser and Manda Kiefer grabbed fourth and fifth, respectively. This put the visiting Eagles up by two at 95-93, a lead that they would soon increase.

The visitors pushed their lead to seven points after the 200 Breaststroke and even got as far as 14 points ahead (120-106) after the 500 Freestyle. This was when the Bobcats dug deep and found a way to win. Thanks to Heim's first-place finish and Drozin's third, the team took 12 points in the 100 Butterfly.

That successful event was followed immediately and emphatically by solid dives from MaryRose Hillstrom (Dimondale, Mich.) and Amy Bromberg (Deerfield, Ill.). The two Bobcat divers took 12 more points in this event, setting the stage for Heim, Kristen Witham (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and Petra Chomicz (King's Lynn, England) to wrench back the lead from the Eagles with great 200 IM performances. Heim and Witham grabbed the top two spots and Chomicz took fourth place with a season-best 2:10.14. "We talked about how we didn't only have to win that event, we had to dominate that event," said Werner. "They did just that. They swam great races and almost came away with the sweep there. That put us in a position where we didn't have to win the last event.just had to get second and third."

Ohio did just that in the day's final event, as the 800 Free Relay teams took second and third place, locking up the victory at 151-149. "It was great to see them bear down in those final events and find a way to get the job done," added Werner. A number of season-best times were set on Saturday, as Katey Brooks (100 Breaststroke and 100 Free), Deidre Geroni (200 Fly), Caroline Meyer (200 Fly), Heather McKenzie (50 Free), and Kristyn Repke (200 Backstroke) all swam their top times of the campaign.

The Bobcats will compete in the MAC Championships in Oxford, Ohio, on February 24-27.

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World Magazine. It has been posted in its entirety without editing. Swimming World offers all outlets the chance to reach our audience by contacting us at Newsmaster@swimmingworldmagazine.com. However, Swimming World reserves the right to choose what material is posted.

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