Women's Swimming and Diving in third place of eight teams after Day 1 of Wooster Invitational

By Tim Glon

WOOSTER — The Ohio Northern women's swimming and diving team is in third place out of eight teams after the first day of the Wooster Invitational at the Shapiro Natatorium at Wooster High School.

The Polar Bears (2-2 overall) scored 354.5 points in five of the 20 events.

Mount Union leads the team standings with 455 points. Wooster is second with 362 points and NCAA Division II Edinboro (Pa.) is fourth with 344 points.

Senior Megan Lubinski (Loveland/Brighton) touched fourth in the 50 free in :24.61 to lead Ohio Northern.

Freshman Mara Brown (Fremont/Ross) led three ONU swimmers with top-10 finishes in the 200 I.M., placing fifth in 2:14.78. Junior Abby Schauer (Beavercreek) was ninth in 2:18.52 and junior Shelby Starkey (Bellefontaine) was 10th in 2:19.34.

Sophomore Katie Bend (Carmel, Ind.) placed sixth in the 500 free in 5:29.13.

Three other ONU swimmers placed in the B Final in the 500 free. Freshman Hannah Eversole (Cincinnati/Mt. Notre Dame) was 11th in 5:34.19, sophomore Karli Katterle (Rocky River) was 13th in 5:37.62 and junior Gabbie Grant (St. Clair Shores, Mich./Lakeview) was 16th in 5:43.29.

Senior Lauren Shaw (Port Clinton) and freshman Annie Richters (Troy/Miami East) also placed in the top 16 of the 50 free. Shaw was 12th in :25.50 and Richters was 15th in :25.92.

Grant, Bend, freshman Morgan Fernandez (Huber Heights/Wayne) and Brown started the meet by placing fifth in the 200 free relay in 1:42.85.

In the final event of the day, ONU put two teams in the top five of the 400 medley relay.

Starkey, freshman Aubrey Pritchard (Delaware/Olentangy Berlin), Brown and Lubinski finished second in 4:06.09 and Schauer, Shaw, Fernandez and Richters were fifth in 4:18.13.

The meet scores the top 24 individual places and each team's top two relays in each event.

Day 2 of the meet will begin on Friday at 10 am with swimming prelims at Wooster H.S. and the diving at 2 pm at the Timken Natatorium on Wooster's campus. Day 2 swimming finals are slated for Friday night at 6 pm at Wooster H.S.

The final day will be held on Saturday at both facilities.

Team Standings

1. Mount Union 455, 2. Wooster 362, 3. Ohio Northern 354.5, 4. Edinboro (Pa.) 344, 5. Westminster (Pa.) 297, 6. Wittenberg 124, 7. Lovk Haven (Pa.) 92.5, 8. Hanover (Ind.) 63.