At the Oakland Aquatics Center, the Oakland women’s swim and dive team lost a tough match to the Eastern Michigan University (EMU) Eagles on Thursday, Nov. 16.
In a meet featuring multiple lead changes between the Grizzlies and the Eagles and even a tie at one point, OU came up 10 points short, losing 155-145, following the last event of the evening.
Jordyn Shipps paved the way for the Grizzlies, claiming first place in three separate events: the 50 freestyle, the 100 butterfly and the 200 IM. Shipps’ first-place finishes this match elevate her to nine total this season.
Additionally, Nora Molnar and Ronja Riihinen each placed first for the first time this season in an event for the Grizzlies. Molnar took first in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:54.10, and Riihinen claimed first in the 100 freestyle, clocking in at 52.36.
The meet started with a 400 Medley Relay featuring three teams from OU and EMU. The Eagles started strong early in the race, as their ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams held spots in first and second place, respectively.
Midway through the race, the Oakland ‘A’ team surged into second place before taking over first place during the race’s final moments. After the event, the Grizzlies claimed an early 11-6 lead over EMU.
The Grizzlies held the lead until the fourth event, the 100 backstroke. The Eagles dominated the event, as OU could not crack into the top three. EMU held a slight 38-36 lead at the event’s conclusion.
Eventually, the Grizzlies snatched the lead back from the Eagles in the 100 freestyle. Led by Riihinen’s first-place finish, Mia Keranen and Sam Thiessen placed second and third, respectively, giving the Grizzlies an 86-83 lead.
Through the next event, the 200 backstroke, EMU swimmer Kiersten Russell took first place, while OU swimmer Clarissa Bezuidenhout placed second with a time of 2:04.13, and Molnar placed third, finishing in 2:05.48. After the event, both teams remained tied with a score of 94-94.
Through the 200 breaststroke and the 500 freestyle, the Eagles increased their lead to 138-126 over the Grizzlies. The Eagles secured first and second in the 200 breaststroke and first during the 500 freestyle.
In comparison, Lola Laenen took third in the 200 breaststroke, while Mia Englender placed second in the 500 freestyle. However, in the next event, the 100 butterfly, OU brought the meet within one point thanks to top finishes from Shipps and Englender.
Heading into the night’s final event, the 200 freestyle relay, the battle for first place between the Eastern ‘A’ team and the Oakland ‘A’ team remained neck and neck. Notably, the Oakland ‘A’ team took an early lead.
Regardless of the start, the Eastern ‘A’ team slowly caught up with the Grizzlies and finished in first place at 1:33.94. The Oakland ‘A’ team finished just behind in second with a time of 1:34.51, while the Eastern ‘B’ team clocked in at 1:36.93, finishing in third place.
The strong showing from EMU in the meet’s final race bolstered their point total to 155 compared to OU’s 145, and the Eagles walked away as winners.
Next, the Grizzlies will hit the road and compete in the Zippy Invitational from Thursday, Nov. 30, until Sunday, Dec. 3. The meet will feature multiple universities from across the country. The team’s next home meet will be on Friday, Jan. 12, and Saturday, Jan. 13, against the Xavier Musketeers.
