The Ohio men's and women's swimming and diving teams will be donning their swim caps and Speedos today, as the Bobcats begin their seasons against Eastern Michigan before the women face-off against Toledo tomorrow.
Both teams were picked to finish third this year in the Mid-American Conference pre-season poll.
The women's team returns all but three swimmers from last years team, including five swimmers who were named to the All-MAC First Team and one to the second team. The Bobcats will look to junior Emily Wylam, who holds the MAC record for the 100-yard backstroke, for leadership this season.
The men's team, on the other hand, has lost six point-scoring swimmers from last-year's squad. However, returning are defending 100-yard backstroke champion sophomore Steven D'Arrigo and second-team All-MAC selection, junior Luke Herlehy.
The goal for both teams is to finish better than they did last season, but Ohio coach Gregg Werner said that the men's team, which finished third in the conference championships last season, will have a tougher time accomplishing their goal.
The real estate gets a little more expensive when you have to move up to first or second place
he said. The gap (from third to first) is much greater for the men than it is for the women.
Eastern Michigan women's team is the defending conference champion while the men finished second last year, but the Eagle men have won the MAC championship 25 times in the last 29 years.
We're arguably going against the best in the conference Werner said. It's a little bit of a litmus test to see where we're at.
After today's match up with Eastern Michigan, the women will travel to Toledo to face the Rockets. Toledo and Ohio have faced each other three times in the past two seasons going 1-1-1 in those meetings.
They have some of the league leaders in the conference Werner said. They are very talented and very dangerous.
The men and women compete today at 5 p.m. against Eastern Michigan in Ypsilanti, Mich., and the women will face the Rockets in Toledo at 1 p.m. tomorrow.
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Matt O'Donnell
