Ohio travels to Columbus this weekend to take on Ohio State in a battle of unbeaten swimming squads.
Ohio coach Greg Werner said Ohio State will be the Bobcats’ toughest test so far this season.
“Ohio State is an extremely talented program, one that’s been performing very, very well, not just in this year but in past seasons as well,” he said.
Because of Ohio State’s success, Werner said Ohio will have to bring its best to the state capital.
"Based on this year’s performance — their performance and our performance — we are the underdog in every single event,” Werner said. “It’s more a matter of accepting the challenge and competing against them.”
Even though the match is against a larger school that is part of the Big Ten, Ohio is not looking at it any differently than others.
“They’re an in-state rival; they’re an in-state program. We compete with them for a lot of the same recruits, so obviously there’s some motivation there,” Werner said. “But honestly, we look at them as an opportunity to compete, an opportunity to learn about ourselves and our program, and give us an indication of where we are at,” Werner said.
Ohio is coming off a 163.5-131.5 win against Buffalo, and Ohio State comes into the match after defeating Virginia Tech. They also routed Cleveland State and Denison out of the water with a combined score of 466-130. Buckeyes senior diver Bianca Alvarez was recognized as the Big Ten Diver of the Week for her efforts against the three schools.
Werner said he is anxious to see how his team stacks up against a Big Ten opponent.
“I’m very excited about us competing and would anticipate that we will be able to match intensity and competitiveness,” he said.
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