Women's Swimming and Diving registers four top-10 performances on day one of Calvin (Mich.) Invitational

By Blake Moore

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Against stout competition from Carthage (Wisc.), Albion (Mich.), and 16th-ranked Calvin (Mich.), four top-10 performances highlighted the Ohio Northern women's swimming and diving program's first day at the Calvin Invitational held inside the Venema Aquatic Center on Friday evening.

Northern would end the evening with two individual top-10 finishes as freshman Megan Lubinski (Milford/Brighton) and junior Lauren Halle (Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton) each finished in the territory.

Lubinski continued her early-season success, posting a team-best, fourth-place finish in the 50-yard free to guide the first day efforts. Her 24.75 clocking would trail event champion Emily Gunderson of Calvin by just .42 seconds.

Meanwhile, Halle saw similar results after ending seventh in the 200 individual medley, touching the wall in 2:19.29.

The Polar Bears would also end among the top-10 teams in two relay events on opening night in Grand Rapids. Sophomore Marissa Taylor (Granite Falls, N.C./South Caldwell), junior Katey Stuart (Ada), senior Kierra Watson (Brownsburg, Ind.) and Lubinski took home sixth in the 400 medley relay with a 4:15.77 mark.

Lubinski and Watson also joined freshman Lauren Shaw (Port Clinton) and sophomore Kaity Kelly (Fremont/Ross) to finish eighth in the 200 free relay to kick off the evening. They would stop the clocks with a touch of 1:44.37.

Ohio Northern will return to Venema Aquatic Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan tomorrow for the final two sessions in the Calvin (Mich.) Invitational. The morning session kicks off at 10 a.m. with the evening session set to begin at 4 p.m.