Season Preview: Men’s Swimming & Diving aiming high in 2021-22 season
By Wes Mayberry
| 2021-22 Men's Swimming & Diving Schedule |
ADA — The Ohio Northern men's swimming & diving team has developed a tradition of consistent success. Its string of 20 consecutive top-three finishes at the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships is proof of that.
Coming off a COVID-shortened 2020-21 season that ended with a third-place finish at the OAC Championships, the Polar Bears are looking forward to building on their streak in 2021-22.
"We were third in the conference last year, so the goal this year is to improve on that and move up," fourth-year head coach Austin Veltman said.
Aiding the cause is the return of the majority of last season's roster, as Patrick Reed was the lone senior in that group. This year's 20-man roster features 11 lettermen and six All-Conference honorees from last season's squad that went 2-2 in a conference-only dual meet schedule en route to placing third at the OACs.
"We have our eyes on some school records that are not beyond reach, and we have guys with aspirations to go to the national championships too," Veltman said.
Those contenders for the national meet include seniors and three-year lettermen Jeremy Adams (Ypsilanti, Mich./Ann Arbor Pioneer) and Jackson Stanley (Beavercreek) and sophomore Ben Lacey (Lebanon).
"Qualifying for the NCAAs will be a challenge, as it always is, but our guys can do it," Veltman said. "They are motivated and are working towards that goal each day."
Lacey is the reigning OAC champion in the 200 fly with a time of 1:51.60, which was second-fastest in school history. Lacey also earned All-Conference accolades in the 50 free and 100 fly with third-place finishes in those events at the OACs. His 50 free time of 20.89 seconds is second-fastest in program history, and he was part of the 400 free and 200 medley relay teams that earned All-Conference honors.
A 10-time All-Conference swimmer, Adams earned All-OAC recognition in the 100 breast, 200 breast and 200 I.M. as well as the 400 free and 400 medley relays last season. He is now a three-time All-Conference performer in the 100 breast and owns the second-fastest time in that event in program history — a 55.58, which is just 0.18 seconds off the all-time record. Adams also holds all-time program top-five marks in the 100 free, 200 free and 200 breast.
Stanley earned the first three All-OAC accolades of his career last season in the 200 I.M. and 200 medley and 400 medley relays. He currently holds the second-fastest time in program history in the 100 fly at 49.63 seconds.
Junior and two-year letterman Calob Cope (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) is another top returner for the Polar Bears. A four-time All-OAC swimmer, Cope earned All-Conference accolades in the 500 free, 1,650 free and 400 I.M. last season. He currently sits in the top four in program history with his times in the 500 free, 1,000 free, 1,650 free and 400 I.M.
"Last season, Calob was top-three in all of his events, so he contributes a lot to the team in the distance events," Veltman said. "He's a mentally tough swimmer, and he's competitive. He races the guy next to him with everything he's got. If Calob is in a close race, you'd be foolish to bet against him."
Senior and three-year letterman Mike Lewandowski (Shelby Township, Mich./Eisenhower) and sophomore Evan Sailor (Goshen, Ind.) are also back after earning the first All-Conference accolades of their careers in the 400 free relay and 3-meter diving events, respectively.
"Evan is an exceptionally motivated diver. His improvement last year was enormous, and a lot of that is because he is determined and fearless," Veltman said. "He's a very positive guy with a great attitude all the time, and he works hard in the weight room and on the boards."
Three-year letterman Chris Walton (Greenfield, Ind./Eastern Hancock) rounds out the group of four seniors on this year's roster and joins Adams and Stanley as team captains. He sits in the program's all-time top 10 with his times in the 1,000 free and 200 back.
Sophomores Mason Meyer (Hudson), Wes Richards (Pinckney, Mich.), Charlie Spyker (Harrod/Shawnee) and Patrick Wellman (Dublin/Jerome) round out the Polar Bears' 11 returnees.
This year's roster is rounded out with the addition of nine freshmen, including Holden Cubberley (Celina), who joins Sailor as a diver on the ONU squad.
"Holden is methodical and has an eye for detail. He's always on deck early each afternoon to stretch and prepare," Veltman said. "He and Evan will push and support each other this year, and I'm excited to see what they can do."
Veltman is also excited about the potential of freshman sprinter Brady Horgan (New Richmond/McNicholas).
"Brady has been doing really well and has been putting up some awesome times in workouts," Veltman said. "He worked hard over the summer to prepare for the season, so he's ready."
In terms of relays, Veltman has reason to be excited his teams in those events this year, as most of those swimmers return after earning three second-place and two third-place finishes at the OACs last season. The Polar Bears will need to find someone to fill Reed's place in the 200 and 400 medley relays but have returned the entirety of their four-man teams in the 200, 400 and 800 free relays after setting top-10 times in program history in all five events last season.
This season marks a return to normalcy in terms of schedule length, as the Polar Bears will compete in 10 meets from October through January after seeing action in just four regular-season meets in 2020-21.
"Meets during the season are like rehearsals. Learning how to pace races well and compete hard comes with experience," Veltman said. "Last year, we just didn't have as many opportunities as we normally do because we only had four dual meets. So we went into the conference meet last season with limited experience in certain events. That was just the hand COVID dealt us. This year, with a full slate of events, we'll get more experience, which is invaluable for the end of the year."
The 2021-22 season gets underway on Oct. 16 at the Kenyon Relays. Also on the schedule are the two-day Calvin (Mich.) Quad on Nov. 5-6 and the three-day Wooster Invitational on Dec. 2-4.
The Polar Bears' conference schedule includes their first home meet of the season against John Carroll on Oct. 30 and a home meet against Mount Union on Jan. 15. ONU will travel to face OAC foes Wilmington (Oct. 22) and Baldwin Wallace (Jan. 29).
The OAC Championships are scheduled for Feb. 17-19 in Akron, and the NCAA Division III Championships are set for March 16-19 in Indianapolis, Ind.