The following is a press release courtesy of Ohio State University men’s swimming & diving:
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 12th-ranked Ohio State men’s swimming and diving team is poised for a weekend of competition against three quality opponents. On Friday evening, the Buckeyes will take on West Virginia in a dual meet scheduled for 5 p.m. ET. Ohio State will return for a double-dual meet vs. No. 9 Indiana and No. 4 Louisville on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET. Both meets will be contested in McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion.
Order of Events
Friday, Jan. 30
400 Medley relay
1000 Free
200 Free
100 Back
100 Breast
200 Fly
50 Free
100 Free
200 Back
200 Breast
500 Free
100 Fly
200 IM
200 Free Relay
Saturday, Jan. 31
200 Medley relay
1000 Free
200 Free
100 Back
100 Breast
200 Fly
50 Free
100 Free
200 Back
200 Breast
500 Free
100 Fly
200 IM
400 Free Relay
IN THE RANKINGS
Ohio State ranks 12th in the nation according to the latest Top 25 poll of Division I men’s teams conducted by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (Jan. 22). Other ranked Big Ten teams include Michigan (5), Indiana (9), Wisconsin (17), Iowa (19) and Minnesota (23).
SENIOR SALUTE
Ohio State will recognize an outstanding class of seniors on Saturday. Although the meet is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start time, fans are encouraged to arrive early for the senior presentation set to begin at approximately 12:30 p.m.
The list of veterans to be acknowledged includes: Andrew Braun, Chris Cowley, Michael DiSalle, Stephen Ettienne, Tamas Gercsak, Connor McDonald, Shane Miszkiel, Sean Monahan, Alex Osterhage, Dominic Pecze, Keanu Stevenson, Gavin Trebilcock, Rowan Williams, Steven Zimmerman and John Zucca.
LAST TIME OUT
The Buckeyes split a pair of road meets against Michigan State and No. 5 Michigan last weekend. Ohio State dominated the Spartans by a margin of 168-75 Friday evening in East Lansing, Mich., before dropping a hard-fought contest to the Wolverines Saturday in Ann Arbor, Mich., 183-117. The Buckeye divers were on point, sweeping events vs. both Big Ten foes.
Previously, the Scarlet and Gray returned from winter training to face Denison, which resulted in their sixth dual-meet victory of the season (Jan. 16). Downing the Big Red by a score of 189-111, the Buckeyes made the most of their trek to Granville, Ohio, as senior diver Stephen Ettienne and freshman swimmer Brayden Seal both achieved site records.
B1G HONORS
Two Buckeyes have received conference recognition so far this season. Rookie Brayden Seal was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Nov. 25, while junior Josh Fleagle received Big Ten Swimmer of the Week honors on Nov. 12.
OHIO STATE INVITE CHAMPS
Ohio State was crowned champions of the Ohio State Swimming and Diving Invitational on Sunday, Nov. 23. The Buckeyes posted a team total of 1,546, which bested second-place finisher Wisconsin by a margin of 723 points. Overall, it was a solid showing for the swimming squad, with 28 NCAA ‘B’ standard times achieved.
Representing the Buckeye diving unit, Ettienne and freshman Stephen Romanik claimed top-10 finishes on the 1-meter dive. Ettienne posted a finals score of 355.45 for fifth, while Romanik placed sixth with a 331.25 in finals. The divers also contributed handedly on the 3-meter apparatus, with Ettienne picking up 15 points in a fourth-place finish (379.75).
NOTING NATIONALS
Eight Buckeye standouts suited up at USA Swimming’s 2014 AT&T Winter National Championships in Greensboro, N.C. Taking place Dec. 3-6, the Buckeyes competed, and impressed, against some of the nation’s top swimming talent.
One of the most noteworthy events for the Buckeyes was the 400 free relay where the team of Fleagle, Michael DiSalle, Steffen Hillmer and Matt McHugh conquered a national title. Outlasting the University of Louisville and Club Wolverine by less than a second, Ohio State’s winning time of 2:53.04 was a season best.
MAKING THE GRADE
Ohio State has earned 32 NCAA provisional times so far this season, while six Buckeye swimmers rank in the top-20 nationally.
NCAA Provisional Qualifying Times
50 Freestyle
Fleagle (19.60)
100 Freestyle
Fleagle (43.09)
DiSalle (43.48)
200 Freestyle
Fleagle (1:34.33)
DiSalle (1:35.37)
Hillmer (1:36.93)
Williams (1:36.99)
500 Freestyle
Seal (4:19.82)
Williams (4:23.59)
Hillmer (4:23.81)
1650 Freestyle
Seal (15:14.43)
100 Backstroke
Zimmerman (47.01)
McHugh (47.44)
Williams (47.53)
McDonald (48.27)
Trace (48.32)
200 Backstroke
Williams (1:42.88)
Zimmerman (1:43.16)
Trace (1:45.70)
100 Breaststroke
MacDonald (53.68)
Barone (54.27)
200 Breaststroke
MacDonald (1:56.75)
100 Butterfly
McHugh (47.49)
200 Butterfly
Gercsak (1:44.45)
Lim (1:46.32)
200 IM
Gercsak (1:46.08)
Zimmerman (1:46.95)
Morgan (1:48.60)
Lim (1:48.99)
400 IM
Gercsak (3:47.20)
Dolgov (3:51.32)
Mitrovic (3:53.04)
NCAA Rankings
50 Freestyle
- Fleagle (19.60)
100 Freestyle
- Fleagle (43.09)
200 Freestyle
- Fleagle (1:34.33)
- DiSalle (1:35.37)
1000 Freestyle
- Seal (9:05.46)
100 Backstroke
- Zimmerman (47.01)
200 Backstroke
- Williams (1:42.88)
200 Butterfly
- Gercsak (1:44.45)
400 IM
- Gercsak (3:47.20)
BUCKEYES VS. THE B1G
Ohio State currently holds 25 top-10 individual times in the Big Ten. Fleagle ranks first in the 200 freestyle, as well as runner-up in the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle. Also posted among the top-5 are DiSalle (4th, 100 freestyle), Seal (1st, 1000 freestyle; 5th, 500 freestyle), Rowan Williams (5th, 200 backstroke) and Tamas Gercsak (3rd, 200 butterfly; 4th, 200 IM; 3rd, 400 IM). Three Buckeyes – Steven Zimmerman, McHugh and Williams – hold top-5 standing in the 100 backstroke.
PHILLIPS TO CONTEND AT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Tim Phillips, a former member of the Ohio State men’s swimming and diving team, will represent the United States at the 2015 FINA World Championships, July 24-Aug. 9, in Kazan, Russia. Phillips will replace fellow U.S. National Team member Michael Phelps in the 100 butterfly event on the American roster.
Phillips was an All-American swimmer during his time at Ohio State. Most recently, he set a Big Ten record with a time of 45.10 in the 100 butterfly at the 2014 NCAA Championships to place third. He is joined on the U.S. National Team by current Ohio State swimmer DJ MacDonald. MacDonald will compete at the 2015 World University Games, July 3-14, in Gwangju, South Korea.
WADLEY NAMED TO U.S. NATIONAL TEAM COACHING STAFF
Ohio State head coach Bill Wadley will contribute his plethora of experience to the United States National Team as a member for the coaching staff, effective Sept. 2, 2014. Wadley was selected to join the coaching contingent by USA Swimming National Team Director Frank Busch and will remain on the staff for one year.
Wadley qualified for the position after two of his athletes – Phillips and MacDonald – finished Top 6 in their respective events at the 2014 Phillips 66 National Championships.
“Coach Wadley has helped me develop as a swimmer through his dedication and perseverance to making sure that not just me, but everyone on the team reaches their full potential as a swimmer and as a person,” MacDonald said. “As much as he emphasizes the team’s efforts in the pool, he also encourages us to be leaders outside of the pool – in the community and the classroom.”
UP NEXT
The Buckeyes return to competition for a dual vs. Wright State on Saturday, Feb. 7 at McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion. Racing will begin at noon.