Season Preview: Men's Swimming & Diving looks for 20th consecutive top three finish in 2021
By Tim Glon
| 2021 Men's Swimming & Diving Schedule |
ADA — The Ohio Northern men's swimming & diving team has a long history of success in the pool, finishing in the top three at the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships 19 consecutive seasons.
Third-year head coach Austin Veltman hopes to make it 20 in a row in a 2021 season that was cut in half due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Polar Bears welcome back seven lettermen and three All-Conference honorees from last year's squad that went 5-3 in dual meets overall, finished second in the OAC Regular Season with a 3-1 mark and was third at the OAC Championships meet.
The squad will compete in a shortened 2021 season, which will begin with a round-robin dual meet schedule against the four other OAC schools from Jan. 30-Feb. 20.
The NCAA Championships will be March 17-20 in Federal Way, Wash., with the OAC Championships following on March 25-27 at the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio.
In a normal year, the OAC Championships would precede the NCAA Championships, giving just another quirk to the 2021 season.
"It's been a strange year for sure," Veltman said. "The COVID-19 pandemic has given us the opportunity to get closer as a team and tackle the challenges as a unit. Our student/athletes have done a superb job of coping with the difficulties and are sticking together as a team. They bring so much positive energy to practice every day, and I couldn't be prouder of them for how they've handled the adversity that Covid has presented."
Junior Jeremy Adams (Ypsilanti, Mich./Ann Arbor Pioneer) and sophomore Calob Cope (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) were All-Conference swimmers last season and senior Patrick Reed (Charleston, W.Va./Washington) was an All-OAC honoree as a sophomore in 2019.
Adams, who is also an Academic All-OAC award winner, is a 5-time All-Conference swimmer. He is a two-time All-OAC performer in the 100 breast and was All-OAC on three relay teams in 2019.
He reached the NCAA "B" Cut in the 100 breast last year, touching in :55.77 - just .37 off the school record of :55.40.
Cope finished third at last year's OAC Championships in the 400 I.M. to earn All-Conference honors as a freshman a year ago. He was also fourth in the 500 and 1650 free events to miss All-Conference accolades by just one place in those two events.
Reed was second in the 200 breast as a sophomore and was fourth in 2018, but struggled through an injury-plagued season in 2020.
He returns healthy in 2021 and gives ONU a solid I.M./breast combo.
Reed and junior Jackson Stanley (Beavercreek) will serve as team captains this winter.
Stanley just missed All-OAC honors in the fly events a year ago, finishing fourth in the 100 fly and fifth in the 200 fly.
Junior Justin DeLano (Englewood/Northmont) is also looking for All-Conference accolades this season after near misses a year ago in the two backstroke events and the 100 fly.
Junior Michael Lewandowski (Shelby Township, Mich./Eisenhower) returns in the sprints and junior Chris Walton (Greenfield, Ind./Eastern Hancock) has scored 41 career OAC points in the distance and back events.
Eight incoming freshmen will also contribute this season as the Polar Bears look to maintain their string of successful OAC Championships meets.
"We are focusing on getting better each day," Veltman said. "Our guys bring great energy each day and I have had a ton of fun coaching them. We are excited about competing again."