Buckeyes Gear Up for Annual Ohio State Invitational

Columbus, Ohio— This weekend, the Ohio State swimming and diving teams will be hosting their annual Ohio State Invitational at McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion.

In addition to the Buckeyes, top-notch talent from around the country will be coming to Columbus to compete this weekend. Florida will be sending its complete swimming and diving teams, while Kentucky will be sending both of its swimming squads. Washington State and Miami (FL) will both be sending women’s swimming teams.

****Parking information is listed below****

FAN PARKING FOR OSU SWIM INVITATIONAL:

• Friday Prelims: Fans should park in campus garages by paying the hourly rate, or in campus surface lots by utilizing the Pay-by-Plate machines located in those lots. Suggested parking garages include: Tuttle Garage, Lane Avenue Garage, and Union Garages, pending availability.
• Friday Finals: Fans should park in the Neil Avenue Garage directly adjacent to McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion for an event rate of $5.
• Saturday: Fans should park in football day of game lots and garages, as indicated on the Football Game Day Parking Map (http://osu.campusparc.com/docs/default-source/maps/football-parking-map.pdf?sfvrsn=4), for $15 for the day. Please note that if your car is taken out of the garage, you will be charged the $15 again upon returning for finals!
• Sunday: Fans should park in the Neil Avenue Garage directly adjacent to McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion for an event rate of $5.

Last Time Out

Ohio State had quite the week last week, with both the men’s and women’s teams winning all three dual meets they took part in. The Buckeye men defeated Cleveland State on Nov. 12 by a score of 172.5-84.5 and followed that up with a 176-101 victory over Miami (OH) and a 203.5-96.5 win at Eastern Michigan. The Buckeye women had the same schedule and also came away with three victories: 184.5-72.5 against Cleveland State, 175-116 against Miami (OH), and 175-113 at Eastern Michigan. The men have yet to lose a dual meet this year and the women own a record of 7-1 in dual meets and also won the FGCU Invite earlier this season.

Last season the men’s team took first place, besting Big Ten foe Wisconsin and 2015 returner Kentucky. The women place fourth out of the seven teams that participated.

Accolades Abound

So far this season, four Buckeyes have received weekly recognition from the swimming community for outstanding performance this year. On the women’s side, Lindsey Clary was named the Big Ten Swimmer of the Week back on October 28 and Amy Bopp was named CollegeSwimming.com’s Big Ten Swimmer of the Week this week.

For the men, Matt McHugh was named CollegeSwimming.com’s National Swimmer of the Week and their Big Ten Swimmer of the Week this week, and Colin Zeng earned the Big Ten’s Diver of the Week honors this week as well.

Poll Position

Since the start of the season, Ohio State has been a familiar name in both the CSCAA Poll andCollegeSwimming.com’s poll as well.

Last week, the first College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) poll Top 25 poll came out for men’s teams and the Buckeyes entered in at No. 21. After making their season debut in late October, they entered CollegeSwimming.com’s Top 50 at No. 18 and have been in the Top 25 ever since. The Scarlet and Gray currently sits at No. 22.

The women, after their stellar start at the FGCU Invite in early October, entered CollegeSwimming.com’s poll all the way up at No. 4. Right now Ohio State sits at No. 25. In the first two iterations of the coaches’ poll for this season, the Buckeyes have received 14 and 13 votes, respectively. This week, LSU’s 14 votes barely edged out Ohio State for the 25^th spot in the rankings.

Honoring Eli

Last season, Eli Boda, a 13-year old from Columbus, Ohio, was adopted by Ohio State’s women’s swimming team through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation (FOJ), a non-profit, charitable organization formed in 2005 that aims to improve the quality of life for children with pediatric brain tumors and their families. Eli passed away earlier this year and last week’s meet against Miami (OH) was held in his memory, with donations being accepted for Fridays of Jaclyn.

Last season, Eli was able to attend a few meets and the team made sure to visit him as well. The team even went to his birthday party to celebrate with him, cementing what assistant coach Jordan Wolfrum called a very impactful experience for her girls.

“It ended up being a much bigger life experience than I think they planned on it being,” Wolfrum said. “It was a heavy learning experience; in life, in compassion, and in loss.”

Senior Erin Dunseith was one of the people who helped get her team involved with FOJ and, to her, getting involved was an obvious choice.

“I just think that because we have so much that it’s important to give back,” said Dunseith. “It could help our team do something that was bigger than themselves.”

Wolfrum also stated that the team will look to continue volunteering in similar ways in the future as a way to carry on Eli’s memory. Just this year, through the Buckeye Buddies program, they welcomed two new children into the program at the meet against Kenyon.

Event Schedule

Below is a table containing the event schedule for each day of the invitational:

Swimming news courtesy of Ohio State Swimming & Diving.