Ohio is 0-1 against Ohio State during this academic year, as the Bobcats’ field hockey squad fell to the Buckeyes early this fall. On Saturday, though, the Bobcats will try to remedy that when they dive into the pool against the state’s only Big Ten Conference school.
The Bobcats return from two weeks of continuous practice in which they tried to bounce back from their season-opening loss against Eastern Michigan.
“We had two weeks of very good training,” Ohio coach Greg Werner said, noting that the Bobcats have specifically focused on breathing patterns, racing strategies and wall disciplines.
Werner also said that Ohio’s ultimate goal is not to focus on improving for one particular dual meet, but rather on improving throughout the season to peak at the Mid-American Conference championships in March.
“We are constantly working on things,” Werner said. “It is a journey.”
Werner said his team has become much healthier over the past two weeks, as it had several swimmers held from competition against the Eagles.
The Bobcats may need their entire cast of swimmers and divers to perform at their top level Saturday against Ohio State, as the Buckeyes are 3-0 and have already received votes in the NCAA ranking.
“Their program is surging and making a huge step forward,” Werner said. “They are on the way to win the Big Ten Championships.”
The Buckeyes, which have 35 swimmers as opposed to Ohio’s 25, have several athletes who already scored as freshman at the NCAA Championships.
While the Bobcats’ diving team was able to tighten the competition against Eastern Michigan by winning both events, they will likely face a more competitive meet on Saturday.
“Their diving programs produce All-Americans yearly, and they have national champions all the time,” Werner said. “This will make us better in the future.”
Recent results prove that the Bobcats are not the favored team, as they fell 203-97 and 213-87 in 2011 and 2010, respectively, to the Buckeyes. But the Bobcats might have a chance to beat their in-state rival this time around.
The Buckeyes swim against Tennessee on Friday before heading to Athens, meaning the Bobcats will be more rested than their opponents.
Werner said Ohio has to go into the meet honed in on swimming its best in order to compete closely against the Buckeyes.
“On the paper, Ohio State is definitely favored, but you don’t compete on the paper,” he said.
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