Courtesy: Akron Athletics
YPSILANTI, Mich. – The Akron Zips swimming and diving team opened the season with a convincing 204-96 victory over Eastern Michigan at Jones Natatorium on Friday evening.
Akron won 13-of-16 events as junior Sarah Watson (Winnipeg, Manitoba) paced the Zips by touching first in four events. Watson posted individual wins in the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly and was member of two relay team wins, the 400 medley relay and the 200 freestyle relay.
Several Zips posted multiple wins as freshman Astrid Halvorsen (Stroemmen, Norway) made her collegiate debut with three wins. Halvorsen was a member of the winning 200 freestyle relay squad and added 18 points to the Zips’ point total with a pair of victories in the 1000 freestyle and 200 butterfly.
Junior Sofia Henell (Linkoping, Sweden) captured first place in the 50 and 100 freestyle events, while sophomore Weronika Gorecka (Wroclaw, Poland) won the 200 backstroke and was a member of the 400 medley relay team.
Senior Paula Garcia (Madrid, Spain) and sophomore Victoria Kaufman (Westminster, Md.) round-out the multi-event winners. Garcia won the 100 breaststroke and was a member of the 400 medley relay team along with Kaufman. Kaufman earned an additional win as a member of the 200 freestyle relay team.
Other event winners included: junior Andrea Fischer (Oak Grove, Minn.) – 200 breaststroke, senior Brooke Lamoureux (Victoria, Canada) – 500 freestyle, junior Olivia Gardner (Bromsgrove, England) – 400 individual medley, and junior Lauren Cooper (Dublin, Ohio) – 200 freestyle relay team.
UP NEXT FOR THE ZIPS
The Zips return to Ocasek Natatorium as Akron hosts the annual Zippy Invitational on Friday through Sunday, Dec. 4-6.
Scores
Team Rankings – Points
1. Akron – 204
2. Eastern Michigan – 96
Courtesy: Eastern Michigan Athletics
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University swimming and diving team fell to the defending Mid-American Conference Champions, the University of Akron, in its final meet of 2020, 204-96, Nov. 20 at Jones Natatorium.
In all, the Eagles won three events on the afternoon. Two of those came from diving, starting with senior Micaela Schempf (Bowling Green, Ohio-Bowling Green) who won the 3-meter event with a score of 244.20, followed closely behind by classmate Bethany Berger (Batavia, Ohio-Glen Este), who took second with a 243.31 mark.
Berger followed her runner-up performance with a win in 1-meter diving, recording her second NCAA Zone C qualifying mark in the event with a final score of 276.83.
Rounding out the wins for EMU was sophomore Lainie Bell (Atlanta, Ga.-Druid Hills), who picked up her second win in the 100 backstroke in as many meets, taking the event crown with a season-best 54.96 performance.
In addition to the wins, Eastern saw five Eagles set new career-best marks in four events. Senior Carlee Jones (Edgewood, Ky.-Notre Dame Academy) picked up a new personal-best in the 100 breaststroke with a 1:06.29 swim, while senior Abby Rapien (Cincinnati, Ohio-Taylor) and junior Amelia Kinnard (Dexter, Mich.-Dexter) recorded new individual standards in the 1000 free with times of 10:18.36 and 10:21.48, respectively. Sophomores Kayla Whitehead (Ottawa, Ontario-Colonel By Secondary) and Kelsi Hill (Indian Trail, N.C.-Union Academy) then added new career-bests in the 200 breaststroke with times of 2:24.78 and 2:27.53, respectively. Hill marked a second new personal-best mark with a 4:41.03 showing in the 400 individual medley to wrap things up.
Eastern Michigan will return to competition in 2021. For updates on the schedule and all things swimming and diving, continue to check EMUEagles.com, or follow the team on Twitter, @EMUSwimDive.