BEREA, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace University women's swimming and diving team opened the 2021 season as it fell to the University of Mount Union in an Ohio Athletic Conference dual meet by a final score of 134.5-97.5 in the BW Natatorium inside the Lou Higgins Center.

BW (0-1, 0-1 OAC) was led by junior All-OAC freestyler Bella Ratino (Mentor/Hawken), sophomore diver LynnDee Popovich (Middleburg Heights/ Reichelshelm Academy) and freshman Tia Reed (Bluffton, S.C.) as the trio each won a pair of events. 

Ratino captured the 500 and 1000-yard freestyles in times of 5:30.02 and 11:24.70.  Popovich, who was diving for the first time in college, won the 1-meter five and six-dive events with scores of 80.65 and 195.20.  In her first collegiate meet, Reed won the 100-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard individual medleys in times of 1:13.05 and 2:26.46. 

Picking up runner-up finishes were junior All-OAC freestyler Kayla McClintock (Venetia, Pa./ Peters Township) and sophomore All-OAC freestyler Julia Newbould (Strongsville).  McClintock finished second in the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 2:08.95 and was third in the 500-yard freestyle in a time of 5:34.84.  Newbould took second in the 100-yard freestyle in a time of 58.67 seconds and third in the 50-yard freestyle in a time of 26.60.

In addition, freshmen Lauren Slife (Westfield Center/Cloverleaf) and Kate Wells (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) each earned third place finishes in their first collegiate meet.  Slife placed third in the 100-yard butterfly in a time of 1:07.74 and Wells took third in the 1000-yard freestyle in a time of 11:53.73.

The Yellow Jackets are back in action on Saturday, February 6 when they travel to Ada for an OAC dual meet against Ohio Northern University inside the ONU Sports Center at 1 p.m.