2018 MEN’S MAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Wednesday-Saturday, February 28th-March 3rd
- Corwin Nixon Natatorum, Oxford, OH
- Short course yards
- Championships Central
- Day 1 results
- Day 2 results
- Day 3 results
TEAM STANDINGS (DAY 3)
- Missouri State – 591.5
- Eastern Michigan – 499
- Miami – 480
- Southern Illinois – 303.5
- Ball State – 145
- Evansville – 135
On the 3rd day of the 2018 Men’s MAC Championships Missouri State opened up their lead to nearly 100 points over Eastern Michigan. That lead will be extremely difficult for EMU and/or Miami to make up, not impossible, but very difficult. Tomorrow’s events are some of EMU’s strongest, with the exception of the 1650, but they will need to have huge performances as a team, specifically in tomorrow’s prelims, in order to stand a chance of catching Missouri State.
MAC records were broken in the 100 breast and 400 medley relay, while pool records were broken in all of the swimming events except the 100 breast. Blair Bish broke the MAC record in the 100 breast, blasting a 51.93 to win by a second. Bish was out in a fast first 50, going 24.30. He shattered the MAC record twice on the day by going 52.68 in prelims. Also, while it was a MAC record, it was significantly off the pool record of 51.14 from Emory’s Andrew Wilson. His time was just off the NCAA ‘A’ cut, but will definitely be enough for him to get invited to the NCAAs.
The Missouri State 400 medley team of Thomas Heye, Bish, Artur Osvath, and Lucas Paloschi shaved .1 seconds off the MAC record held by Missouri State from 2015. Heye led off with a 48.70, followed by Bish in 51.62, Osvath in 46.62, and Paloschi in 43.52. Similar to the 200 medley relay, Missouri State had the fastest middle 200, with Bish and Osvath both splitting the fastest in the field in their respective strokes.
Tosh Kawaguchi won the 100 back by nearly a second, posting a 47.54 in finals. His prelims time of 47.34 wasgood for a pool record, and was his fastest time of the season. He also led off the 400 medley relay in 47.34, matching his prelims time and new pool record.
EMU put on a show in the 200 free, with freshmen Carter Swift and junior Jake Tyson touching in 1:35.42 and 1:35.46 rexpectively to win by 2 and a half seconds over the rest of the field. Both Swift and Tyson came in a little under the pool record (1:35.79) set by Grant House, now an Arizona State star, last year when he was in high school. They are also less than half a second off the MAC record of 1:34.99, held by EMU alumna Andrew Henry.
Artur Osvath broke the pool record with his prelims swim in the 100 fly. In prelims, he went 46.82, and he went 46.84 in finals. He was just off the MAC record of 46.66 held by Buffalo’s Mason Miller from last year. Christopher Heye shattered the pool record of 3:49.97 that was set in prelims by Phillip Willett in the 400 IM, posting a 3:47.99 to also win by 3 seconds. Willett went 3:52.56 to claim 3rd in finals.