Miami Invite Action Continues in Day Two

OXFORD, Ohio, December 1. FRESHMAN Karen Frazier broke her own school record in the 100 breaststroke and the Miami University women's swimming and diving team posted 16 "A" final finishes as it jumped from ninth to first on day two of the 13th Annual Miami Invitational. Heading into the final day, Miami leads second-place Truman State by 141 points. For the men, sophomore Chris Heaton won the 1-meter dive with a season-best score of 322.60 and the Miami University men's swimming and diving team posted four "A" final finishes as it moved up from seventh to fifth on day two. Heading into the final day, Miami (538 points) trails first-place Denison, which has a commanding lead with 976 points.

After clocking in at 1:04.04 and resetting the Miami 100 breaststroke record in this morning's prelims, Frazier one-upped herself in Friday's finals, touching the wall with a NCAA "B" cut of 1:03.41. It was the fourth time this season Frazier tied or set the varsity record in the 100 breaststroke, and since she set foot in Oxford, Frazier has lowered the school record by eight-tenths of a second.

The RedHawks opened day two of the invite with a bang, placing first in the 200 freestyle relay. The "A" relay team of Margaret Patrick, Allison Stevens, Kristen Bezier and Jen Nemeth sprinted to a first-place time of 1:34.75. Miami's "B" relay team also added a seventh-place finish.

Miami placed two swimmers in the "A" final of the 200 butterfly, with Ashley Seymour finishing as the top RedHawk. Seymour clocked in with a fourth-place time of 2:06.07, and Diana Zeleznikar added a sixth-place time of 2:06.96. Allison Stevens then followed with a third-place finish in the 200 freestyle, touching the wall in 1:52.58. Miami also placed two swimmers in the "B" final and one swimmer in the "C" final as it climbed up to third place in the team standings.

Frazier paced a strong showing the 100 breaststroke with her school-record swim, and she was part of a 1-2 Miami finish in the "A" final as Kristen Bezier placed second with a time of 1:05.02. Frazier and Bezier were two of five Miamians to place in the finals, as Miami surged to second in the team standings. The RedHawks further narrowed the gap on Truman State when Tenley Marsteller placed fifth in the "A" final of the 100 backstroke.

Frazier came back after her record-setting performance to finish second in the "A" final of the 400 individual medley, clocking in with a time of 4:30.50. Seymour added her second top-five time of night as well, finishing just off Frazier's pace with a fourth-place time of 4:31.59.

In the sprints, Patrick turned in a third-place time of 23.88 in the 50 freestyle, as she was one of eight RedHawks among the top 27 finishers. Miami also placed three swimmers in the "B" final, paced by Nemeth's 11th-place finish, and four swimmers in the "C" final. The final swimming event of the session had Miami place second and seventh in the 400 medley relay.

In the 3-meter dive, Melissa Roemmele joined Frazier as the only two Miamians to win an event. Roemmele posted a first-place score of 280.85 and was one of four Miami divers to advance to the 3-meter finals. The RedHawks totaled 117 points and the boards and overtook Truman State in the standings with their diving effort.

In men's competition, the RedHawks opened day two of the invite with a sixth-place finish in the 200 freestyle relay. The "A" relay team of Theo Kuczek, Andy Amyot, Zachary Siegel and Ryan McHugh touched the wall in 1:24.31. Nick DuPuis then followed with an 11th-place finish in the 200 butterfly, clocking in with at 1:55.07. Miami combined to place seven swimmers in the "B" and "C" finals of the 200 fly, totaling 59 points in the event.

In the 200 freestyle, Miami's top finisher was Ryan McHugh with a 17th-place time of 1:43.07, and the RedHawks then placed two swimmers in the "A" final of the 100 breaststroke, paced by Griffin Marshall's fifth-place time of 57.60. Kuzcek also clocked in with an eighth-place time of 58.94 in the 100 breast. In the 100 backstroke, Justin Dankovich helped Miami hold on to fifth place in the standings as he finished 17th with a time of 54.39.

Jason Bank was one of two RedHawks to place in the "B" final of the 400 individual medley, as he finished with a 14th-place time of 4:11.71. Marshall (15th) also scored in the "B" final with a time of 4:13.45. In the sprints, McHugh was Miami's lone "A" finalist with a fifth-place time of 21.08, while Kuczek added a "B" final finish. The RedHawks also placed two swimmers in the "C" final of the 50 free.

In the final swimming event of the session, Miami's "A" relay team placed seventh in the 400 medley relay. The squad clocked in at 3:29.32. Heaton then added his season-best performance on the 1-meter board, winning the event by nearly 30 points. He was the only Miamian to qualify for the finals of the 1-meter board.

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use