AKRON, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace University women's swimming and diving team finished third at the three-day Ohio Athletic Conference Championships hosted by the Ohio Northern University in the Ocasek Natatorium on the campus of the University of Akron.
BW finished third of five teams with 562 points just a half point ahead of Ohio Northern University in fourth place. The third-place finish was the highest finish for the Yellow Jackets since the 2007 championship when they finished as the runner-up. John Carroll University won the championship for the second straight year with 885 points.
The top three individuals and the top two relay teams earn All-OAC honors.
BW was led by sophomore All-OAC freestyler Olivia Jacob (Canton/McKinley) and sophomore stroker Erika Nockengost (Cuyahoga Falls) as each earned their third All-OAC honor of the championships. Jacob, who took second in the 500-yard freestyle on Thursday and was a member of the school-record setting 800-freestyle relay team that took second on Friday, was the runner-up in the 1,650-yard freestyle in a school-record time of 18:00.65, including setting the school-record in the 1,000-yard freestyle with a time of 10:52.65. Nockengost, who was the 100-yard butterfly champion on Thursday and was a member of the school-record setting 800-freestyle relay team that took second on Friday, placed third in the 200-yard butterfly in a career-best time of time of 2:12.81.
In addition, sophomore diver/stroker Ellie Clymer (Independence) earned her first All-OAC honor as she was the runner-up in the 1-meter 11-dive event with a career-best 320.10 points. Clymer was also 10th in the 200-yard breaststroke in a career-best time of 2:33.52. Freshman stroker Marissa Kural (LaGrange, Ill./Lyons Township) finished fourth in the 200-yard butterfly in a career-best time of 2:12.98. Freshman diver Lauren Franz (Canton/GlenOak) took fourth in the 1-meter 11-dive event with a career-best 303.10 points. Sophomore freestyler Allie Thorson (Amherst/Marion Steele) placed fourth in the 1,650-yard freestyle in a career-best time of 18:29.74. Freshman diver Brianna Lapaglia (Rockland, Mass) finished fifth in the 1-meter 11-dive event with a career-best 285.80 points. Senior stroker Jordyn Miller (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) was eighth in the 200-yard backstroke in a season-best time of 2:13.53. Senior freestyler Lena Kortis (Canton/Massillon Perry) took 10th in the 100-yard freestyle in a time of 55.82. Sophomore stroker Alyssa Mahle (Aurora) finished 11th in the 200-yard backstroke in a career-best time of 2:19.43.
In relay action, the 400-yard freestyle relay unit of Nockengost, Miller, Thorson and Kortis finished fourth with a school-record time of 3:38.80.
The NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships will be contested on March 14-17 in Indianapolis, Indiana at the Indiana University-Purdue University Natatorium.
