On Friday, Oct. 13, the Oakland swim and dive women’s team lost to the University of Toledo (UT) Rockets at the Oakland Aquatics Center with a final score of 167-133.
“We have to learn from this,” assistant coach Paul Karas said. “We can’t come out like that, and that’s probably on the coaching staff too. We have a younger squad — there’s a lot of opportunities, so you just gotta stick your nose in there and race.
The meet commenced with a 200-medley relay featuring four OU and two UT teams competing. The Toledo’ A’ team finished first, clocking in at 1:43.57, and the Oakland ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams secured second and third with respective times of 1:45.46 and 1:48.44.
The 1000 free followed, with Rocket swimmer Jovana Duric finishing first, followed by Oakland’s Angelina Baker in second and Toledo’s Lindsey Creek in third. After this event, the Rockets held a slight lead of 24-12 over the Grizzlies.
Despite the slim lead, UT continued to pull away from the Grizzlies in the 200 free and the 100 backstroke. Sam Thiessen claimed third for the Grizzlies in the 200 free, and Clarissa Bezuidenhout secured second in the 100 backstroke. Toledo swimmers took all other top-three finishes in both events.
During the 100 breast and 200 fly, the Grizzlies saw similar results. Barbara Bart claimed third place in the 100 breast, Jillian Rice clinched second in the 200 fly, and the Rockets again took all other top-three positions, giving them a considerable point advantage at 77-35.
Come the 50 free and 3-meter dive, the Grizzlies started to show some life. Jordyn Shipps took first place during the 50 free, registering a time of 23.71. Ellie Chalifoux also dominated in the 3-meter dive, placing first and recording a score of 266.25.
Next, OU continued to ramp up the momentum against UT. During the 100 free, Sam Thiessen placed second with a time of 52.12, claiming four points for OU. After Thiessen’s performance, Shipps and Bezuidenhout followed up with first and second placements during the 200 back, putting up significant points on the board as the Grizzlies trailed 111-77.
Following their excellent diving performance, the Grizzlies continued to fight back in the 200 breast and the 500 free. Maya Lewis and Maria Kristjansdottir took second and third during the 200 breast, while Erika Pietras and Angelina Baker clinched first and third positions in the 500 free.
After those two events, Mia Keranen placed third for the Grizzlies during the 100 fly, recording a time of 57.72. At this point, Toledo still held their lead over the Grizzlies with a score of 140-105, a deficit the Grizzlies could not reach.
Up next were the 1-meter dive and the 200-individual medley. Chalifoux and Victoria Sanders closed out the dive, placing first and second. At the same time, Jordyn Shipps claimed first place for the Grizzlies in the 200 individual medley.
The day’s last event was the 200 free relay, which featured four teams representing the Grizzlies and the Rockets. The Toledo A team finished first, clocking in at 1:34.86, and the Oakland A team secured second place at 1:35.93.
“We’re gonna go back to work, try to get in good condition, and build up some aerobics base,” Karas said. “Now they understand they gotta go after it; it’s not just going to come to you. It’s easier said than done.”
The swim and dive team will play next on Friday, Nov. 3, and Saturday, Nov. 4, in a meet at the Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center in West Lafayette, Indiana, against Purdue University and Rutgers University.
