CANTON, Ohio. – The Baldwin Wallace University women's swimming and diving teeam opened the 2019 portion of its schedule as it came up short against NCAA Division II Malone College in the C.T. Branin Natatorium.
BW (5-4) fell to Malone in a highly contested meet by a final score of 115-111.
The Yellow Jackets were led by freshman Bella Ratino (Mentor/Hawken), who competed in her first meet after transferring this semester, won the 200-yard backstroke and the 1000-yard freestyle in times of 2:13.53 and 11:04.07.
Also earning victories were junior Academic All-OAC diver/stroker Ellie Clymer (Independence), junior All-OAC stroker Erika Nockengost (Cuyahoga Falls) and freshman stroker Madeleine Pierce (Perry). Clymer won the 1-meter diving event with a career-best total 179.85 points and was third in the 200-yard breaststroke in a time of 2:45.04. Nockengost (Cuyahoga Falls), who is this week's OAC Women's Swimmer of the Week, won the 200-yard butterfly in a time of 2:23.83 and was fourth in the 200-yard breaststroke in a time of 2:45.94. Pierce won the 50-yard freestyle in a time of 25.94 seconds.
In addition, junior All-OAC freestyler Allie Thorson (Amherst/Marion Steele) was the runner-up in the 200-yard freestyle and 500-yard freestyle in times of 2:03.50 and 5:32.81. Sophomore stroker Marissa Kural (LaGrange, Ill. / Lyons Township), who competed in her first meet of the season after studying abroad during the fall semester, took third in both the 200-yard backstroke and the 200-yard individual medley in times of 2:28.04 and 2:28.21. Junior All-OAC freestyler Olivia Jacob (Canton/McKinley) placed third in the 500-yard freestyle in a time of 5:43.20.
In relay action, the 400-medley unit of Pierce, Clymer, Nockengost and Thorson finished first in a time of 4:17.92. The 200-yard freestyle team of junior freestyler Jenna Ball (Salamanca, N.Y.), senior freestyler Claire Onchuck (Darrien, Ill./Hinsdale South), Ratino and sophomore stroker Lauren Martello (Huron/Sandusky) took second in a time of 1:48.63.
BW returns to OAC action on Friday, January 18 when it travels to Ada to take on Ohio Northern University in the ONU Sports Center Natatorium at 7 p.m. The Yellow Jackets return home to the friendly confines of the BW Natatorium on Saturday, January 19 when they host crosstown rival John Carroll University in an OAC dual meet and the Celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the rebirth of BW Swimming & Diving at 1 p.m.
