Women's Swimming wins all 5 events in record-breaking fashion on Day 1 of OAC Championships

Alison Garbash

By James Garneau

| Results |

AKRON — The women’s swimming and diving team won all five events in record-breaking style to take a commanding lead on the first day of the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships at the Ocasek Natatorium at the University of Akron Thursday.

Ohio Northern leads after the first day of the three-day championships with 98 points, with John Carroll in second with 54 points.

The Polar Bears won every event on the night, with each win breaking at least one record.

The evening started with a victory in the 200 free relay. The team of sophomore Hannah Bukowy, sophomore Cassandra Fennell, and freshmen Sarah Fiffick and Alison Garbash broke both the school record of 1:41.30 and OAC record of 1:41.27, finishing in 1:40.31.

Freshman Michelle Eggers then won the 500 free, winning in a school record time of 5:10.69.

Fellow freshman Kaitlyn Early also earned All-Conference honors, with her third place finish in 5:18.09.

Ohio Northern swept the top three places in the 200 IM, with junior Jillian Huber breaking the school record of 2:12.50 with a time of 2:11.93.

Juniors Katherine Moore and Lacey Shumate also added All-Conference honors, finishing second and third with times of 2:13.27 and 2:16.27, respectively.

Moore actually broke the school record in the event with her 2:11.93 clocking in the prelims Thursday morning, which was then topped by Huber in the finals Thursday evening.

Garbash then achieved the NCAA B cut in the prelim 50 free in 24.41, also breaking the OAC record of 24.52. She won the finals run in 25.08.

Bukowy once again added All-Conference honors, this time with a third place finish in 25.65.

The Polar Bears completed their night by shattering the school and conference records in the 400 medley relay.

Shumate, Bukowy, and Moore combined with Garbash to break their own record of 4:06.10 set last year, by finishing in 4:02.62.

The Polar Bears will continue their quest for their second OAC crown in three years on Friday, when the prelims of Day 2 begin at 11 am, with final runs starting at 6 pm.