BEREA, Ohio  – The Baldwin Wallace University women's swimming and diving team defeated Ohio Northern University in the final home Ohio Athletic Conference dual meet by a final score of 137-86 in the BW Natatorium inside the Lou Higgins Center.

BW (6-2, 2-1), who knocked off Ohio Northern (4-3, 2-2 OAC) for the first time since the 2005-06 season, was led by senior Academic All-OAC stroker Marissa Kural (LaGrange, Ill./Lyons Township) and sophomore All-OAC performer Bella Ratino (Mentor/Hawken) as the duo each won a pair of events.

Kural won the 200-yard freestyle in a career-best time of 2:04.58 and the 100-yard butterfly in a time of 1:01.00.  Ratino touched the wall first in the 400-yard individual medley in a time of 4:50.70 and the 500-yard freestyle on a time of 5:24.32.

Also picking up victories were sophomore All-OAC stroker Madeleine Pierce (Perry) captured the 50-yard freestyle in a season-best time of 25.94 second and was second in the 100-yard backstroke in a season-best time of 1:02.01. Senior Academic All-OAC performer Ellie Clymer (Independence) won the 1-meter six-dive event with 174.45 points. 

In addition, senior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC performer Erika Nockengost (Cuyahoga Falls) finished second in the 100-yard butterfly in a time of 1:04.03.  Sophomore stroker Kayla McClintock (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) was the runner-up in the 1000-yard freestyle in a time of 11:17.12.  Freshman stroker Julia Newbould (Strongsville) took second in the 100-yard freestyle in a time of 57.45.

In relay action,  the 200-yard medley team of Ratino, Clymer, Kural and Newbould touched the wall first in a time of 1:55.75.  The 200-yard freestyle squad of Pierce, senior All-OAC freestyler Allie Thorson (Amherst/Marion Steele), senior Jenna Ball (Salamanca, N.Y.) and Nockengost took the win in a season-best time of 1:45.48

The Yellow Jackets return to action on Saturday, January 18  when they travel to University Heights for their OAC dual finale against crosstown rival John Carroll University in the William H. Johnson Natatorium inside the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center at 1 p.m.   BW closes out the home portion of its schedule when it hosts a non-conference and Seniors' Day dual meet against the College of Wooster at 1 p.m.

The Yellow Jackets host the three-day he Ohio Athletic Conference Championships on Thursday-Saturday, February 13-15 at the Ocasek Natatorium on the campus of the University of Akron.  Preliminary action begins each day at 10 a.m. with finals to be held each night at 6 p.m.