AKRON, Ohio – Freshman diver Zachary Pierce (Willis, Texas/Klein Collins) won his first career Ohio Athletic Conference Championship to lead the Baldwin Wallace University men's swimming and diving team to a fourth place standing after the second day of competition at the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships, which is hosted by BW, in the Ocasek Natatorium on the campus of the University of Akron.
The Yellow Jackets are fourth of five teams with 239 points. Three-time defending OAC Champion and crosstown rival John Carrol leads with 630 points.
The top three individuals and the top two relay teams earn All-OAC honors.
Pierce won the 1-meter and 11-event dive event with a career-best and NCAA Division III B cut total points of 433.95 to claim his first career All-OAC honor.
In addition, freshman stroker Michael Lewis (Lancaster), who swam a career-best time of 57.37 in the prelims, finished fourth in the 100-yard breaststroke in a career-best time of 56.87 seconds. Senior All-OAC diver Evan Rinaldi (Cleveland/Cleveland Heights) was fourth in the 1-meter and 11-dive event with a career-best total points of 353.15. Junior stroker Michael Morsch (Phoenix, Ariz./Notre Dame Preparatory), who set the school-record in the prelims with a time of 52.69, placed sixth in the 100-yard backstroke in a time of 52.85. Senior All-OAC performer Greg Shaw (Colorado Springs, Colo./Manitou Springs), who swam a season-best time of 51.83 in the prelims, took seventh in the 100-yard butterfly in a time of 52.12. Freshman freestyler Austin Olsavsky (Medina), who swam a career-best time of 1:45.96 in the prelims, finished eighth in the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 1:46.24. Junior Academic All-OAC freestyler Matthew Butt (Westfield Center/Cloverleaf) was ninth in the 200-yard freestyle in a career-best time of 1:46.21. Junior stroker Conner Hartup (Westlake) took 12th in the 400-yard individual medley in a career-best time of 4:47.87.
In relay action, the 800-yard free team of Lewis, Olsavsky, Butt and Morsch took fourth in a school-record time of 7:07.26
The Yellow Jackets close out the OAC Championships on Saturday, February 15. Preliminary action begins at 10 a.m. and finals will be contested at 6 p.m.
