For the last year, everything has led to this very moment for the Ohio Swim and Dive team. Hosting the Mid-American Conference Championships is a huge honor, but having a chance to win the conference title is something even more exciting. Ohio (7-0, 4-0 MAC) has ripped through its opponents this season, and the only thing that can truly punctate a season of dominance is a MAC Championship.
With four days of competition, Ohio will attempt to put its full body of work on display in its home pool. Ohio will welcome seven other teams to Athens for the weekend: Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Miami and Toledo. The competition began Wednesday morning with Preliminaries, and the first championship events were held Wednesday night. The final competition will be Saturday night.
Wednesday’s championship events included two events: the 200 Medley Relay and the 800 Freestyle Relay. In the 200 Medley Relay, Ohio has been led by senior Gabrielle Brust, who has picked up numerous awards in her time at Ohio.
Ohio has not won the 200 Medley Relay since 2011, a time when Akron dominated the event, winning eight of the last nine years.
On Thursday, the teams will compete in another five championship events: the 500 Freestyle, 200 Individual Medley, 50 Freestyle, 1-Meter Diving and 400 Medley Relay.
Gabrielle McKee, one of the most prolific distance swimmers on Ohio’s roster, has been Ohio’s 500 Freestyle swimmer so far this season. McKee could become the first swimmer for Ohio to win the 500 Freestyle since Kim van Selm won it twice in 2001 and 2002.
Ohio’s Divers have been led by Astrid Pichardo, who has won a pair of MAC Diver of the Week awards in her freshman season.
Friday’s action will see another six champions crowned in different events as the competitors will take to the pool in the 100 Butterfly, 400 Individual Medley, 200 Freestyle, 100 Breaststroke, 100 Backstroke and 200 Freestyle Relay. In the 400 Individual Medley, the field will try to unseat Miami’s Nicole Maier. Since her freshman season, Maier has won the last three championships in this event. Last season, she broke the MAC record in this event and at the NCAA Championships.
The events will conclude on Saturday with the final seven competitions. The 2024 MAC Swim and Dive Championships will end with the 1650 Freestyle, 200 Backstroke, 100 Freestyle, 200 Breaststroke, 200 Butterfly, 3-Meter Diving and 400 Freestyle Relay. Ohio will be looking to break two long droughts, having not won the 100 Freestyle or 200 Breaststroke since 2000.
With the MAC Swim and Dive Championships being held in Athens for the first time since 2018, Ohio will look to break several streaks, including snapping a 13-year team drought to bring the trophy back to Ohio since last winning in 2011. That journey to bring home the trophy would not be a very long one and Ohio is banking on the fact that its magical season will end with a MAC title in its home pool.
