2023 MAC WOMEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Wednesday, February 22 – Saturday, February 25, 2023
- Oxford, OH
- Defending Champions: Akron (1x)
- Fan Guide
- Championship Central
- Live Results
- Live Video
In one of the tightest battles of the meet, Akron’s Abby Daniel and Miami’s Nicole Maier battled it out in the 200 fly. While Maier entered the meet as the top seed in the event, it was Daniel who came out when the faced off head to head, winning in 1:56.46.
| Abby Daniel | Nicole Maier |
| 26.45 | 26.07 |
| 29.50 (55.95) | 30.36 (56.43) |
| 30.07 (1:26.02) | 30.66 (1:27.09) |
| 30.44 (1:56.45) | 29.47 (1:56.56) |
Maier made a strong push over the final fifty yards of the race, out-splitting Daniel by nearly a second but still falling just short. Both women finished well under the B-standard in the event, which stands at 1:59.23.
The pair wasn’t done competing, as at the end of the meet they went head to head to be recognized as the Outstanding Swimmer of the Meet. This time, they tied, being recognized as the C0-Outstanding Swimmers.
In a battle of two of Akron’s top scorers throughout the meet, Weronika Gorecka came out on top against Maddy Gatrall in the 200 back. After Gatrall qualified in the top spot out of prelims in the morning, Gorecka put on a dominant show during finals, winning by over a second in 1:53.33. Forecka was the defending champion in the event, while Gatrall took third a year ago.
After winning the event as a sophomore and taking third last season, Buffalo’s Toni Naccarella returned to the top of the podium in the 100 free, claiming her second gold of the meet. The senior swam a lifetime best in the race, finishing in 48.28 to miss the conference record by less than two-tenths of a second.
Naccarella was joined on the podium by another member of Buffalo’s team, Sawyer Bosley. The current sophomore will fill Naccarella’s role following her graduation this spring, as she was a three-event A-finalist in the sprint freestyle races this season.
Winning the 200 breast for the third straight season was Akron senior Andrea Fischer. After taking second as a freshman, Fischer has stood atop the podium every other year of her collegiate career. This year, she finished the race in 2:10.99, just off of her lifetime best of 2:10.57.
In the 1650 freestyle, it was Lauren Hartel, an Ohio freshman, who came away with the gold, finishing in 16:35.18. Behind her, it was a pair of Ball state swimmers, with Marcella Ribeiro taking second and Callie Tuma finishing in third.
On the 3-meter board, it was Buffalo who came away with the top-2 finishers. Mari Kwak, a sophomore, took home the gold, finishing with a score of 3:42.10. She beat out defending conference champion and teammate Tori Franz, who took second in 331.85.
Akron finished the meet off with a narrow victory over Buffalo in the 400-yard free relay, setting a new pool record in the process. The team of Daniel, Gorecka, Gatrall, and Rachel Schiffli combined for a time of 3:17.11.
For the ninth time in the last ten years, the Akron women came away from the Mid-American Championships as conference champions. Their only loss at the meet came in 2021, when Buffalo hoisted the trophy by less than ten points.
Team Scores
- Akron – 778.5
- Buffalo – 641
- Miami – 535
- Ohio – 529.5
- Ball State – 339
Go Zips !!!