Women’s Swimming & Diving beats Mount Union 163-112

By Bud Denega 

ADA — Ohio Northern's junior Marissa Taylor (Granite Falls, N.C./South Caldwell) had a little bit of everything in her 1000-meter freestyle Saturday inside the ONU Sports Center. She staked herself to an early lead, surrendered it, only to regain control of the race in the final two laps.

Taylor clocked in at 11:26.70 and her come-from-behind victory jumpstarted the Polar Bears to a 163-112 victory over Mount Union. The win improved Northern to 2-1 in Ohio Athletic Conference competition. 

"Yesterday and today, we swam extremely well," ONU head coach Austin Veltman said. "A lot of very fast times by a lot of people. This is the time of year when it's the hardest to swim fast because we just put in two grueling weeks of work in Miami. This is the peak training time of the year, and we are about as tired as we are going to be. They just really stepped up yesterday and especially today. Something lit a fire under them."

The Polar Bears won 10 of the 16 races Saturday, which included bookending the meet with victories in both relay races. The 200-yard medley relay team — of freshmen Shelby Starkey (Bellefontaine) and Maddy Markwood (Anchor Bay), senior Kyley Stuart (Ada) and sophomore Megan Lubinski (Milford/Brighton) — topped the field, clocking in at 1:54.81. The 200-freestyle relay team — consisting of Lubinski, sophomore Lauren Shaw (Port Clinton), junior Sydney Johnson (Crown Point, Ind.) and Starkey — also touched first, recording a time of 1:44.34. 

Lubinski added a first-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle, clocking in at 55.75, and the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 25.64. Markwood also took first in the 100-yard breaststroke, recording a time of 1:13.48. 

Freshman Abby Schauer (Beavercreek) won the 200-yard individual medley, logging a time of 2:20.18. Schauer was also victorious in the 200-yard backstroke, registering a time of 2:14.84, and the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:03.35.  

Senior Katelyn Koebel (Port Clinton) rounded out the victorious Polar Bears, claiming a first in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:37.78. 

ONU hits the road, traveling to Baldwin Wallace Friday.