Women's Swimming & Diving team in fourth place after Day 1 of Wooster Invitational

By Tim Glon

WOOSTER — The Ohio Northern women's swimming & diving team had a solid first day of the Wooster Invitational on Thursday at the Shapiro Natatorium.

The Polar Bears are in fourth place out of 10 teams with 272 points after the first day of the three-day meet.

Nationally-ranked NCAA Division II schools Edinboro (Pa.) and Gannon (Pa.) hold down the top two spots. No. 30-ranked Edinboro is first with 530 points, No. 28 Gannon is second with 421 points and Division III Westminster (Pa.) is third with 332 points.

Sophomore Allison Lohnes and freshman Jill Chapman led the strong ONU showing on Thursday, posting ninth place individual finishes and helping both ONU relay teams to solid times.

Lohnes was ninth in the 200 I.M. in 2:11.91 and Chapman was ninth in the 50 free in :24.30.

The pair joined freshman Molly Wheeler and Emily Uhrin to finish third in the 200 free relay in 1:38.22 and seniors Jennifer Hartsel and Lindsey Rayhill to finish fourth in the 400 medley relay in 4:00.49.

The 200 free relay team just missed the school record of 1:38.33 by just .11 of a second.

Uhrin had the best individual finish for the Polar Bears, touching in seventh in the 50 free in :24.60.

Rayhill also had a top-10 finish in the 200 I.M., coming in right behind Lohnes in 10th place in 2:12.11.

Freshman Brianna Tingley was 16th in the 500 free.

"The mid-season invite has traditionally been an important measuring stick in our season, and through the years, this first day sticks out as one where we are measuring up in tremendous fashion," ONU head coach Peggy Ewald said. "It will be important for us to continue this momentum over the next two days."

The top 24 individuals and top 16 relay teams score points in the meet.

Day 2 of the meet will begin Friday with trials at 10 am and finals at 6 pm. Saturday's final day will have trials at 10 am and finals at 5 pm.

Diving on Friday and Saturday will begin at Noon with 11-dive competitions at the Wooster Natatorium on campus.