The last time the Aquatic Center had a functioning cold water fountain on the pool deck was four years ago when Ohio won against Toledo. Then the water fountain broke, and the Bobcats have lost against the Rockets ever since.
“The water fountain finally got repaired this week,” Ohio coach Greg Werner said — just in time before current Mid-American Conference champion Toledo comes to the Aquatic Center on Saturday afternoon.
But before the Bobcats are able to turn the page to Saturday, they first have to focus on the meet against Xavier on Friday afternoon, giving the 24 swimmers and divers only 18 hours of rest in between the meets.
“Back-to-back days are designed,” Werner said. “The championships are three consecutive days and we try to mimic that situation as best as we can.”
Xavier comes to town with a 2-6 record with its last wins against Bellarmine and Cumberland. The Bobcats are ranked higher in all possible 18 events for Saturday.
“On paper, we are the favorites going in, there is no doubt about that,” Werner said.
Still, he won’t give any swimmer a break on Friday. He sees it as an opportunity in the meet to change the lineup. Many swimmers are still trying to find their third event for the MAC Championships, so Werner gives them another chance on Friday to do so.
“We look to be tired on Saturday,” Werner said, which will make the meet against the Rockets even more interesting.
The Rockets have a 2-3 record in a tough dual meet schedule. In January, they lost to then-ranked No. 15 Ohio State and Miami and will try to recover against Ohio. Their chances are good; the Rockets are ranked higher than the Bobcats in 12 out of 18 events. In December, Toledo and Ohio met at the Zippy Invitational and the Rockets beat the ’Cats by more than 400 points to earn first place.
“A lot has changed for our team since the invitational,” Werner said.
The Bobcats are healthier now than they were. Moreover, the Bobcats are starting to get into peak shape for the championships.
“I don’t expect my team to give them any easy points or any easy races,” Werner said.
The only event Ohio is expected to win for certain is the diving competition, as no team has outscored the divers yet — not even Ohio State. But in nine events, Ohio’s times are so close to Toledo’s that it could go either way.
“I would be surprised if it’s not coming down to the last event,” Werner said, adding that he hopes to outscore Toledo in the relays. “What it really comes down to is depth. We need to win the third and fifth place.”
Werner doesn’t want to lose to Toledo again. The janitor already repaired the water fountain — now it’s the Bobcats’ turn.
am794811@ohiou.edu
