Men's Swimming & Diving wins the 2015 OAC Championships crown; claims title for the 11th consecutive season

February 23, 2015

By Tim Glon

AKRON — Ohio Northern won its 11th consecutive Ohio Athletic Conference Swimming & Diving Championships title Thursday-Saturday at the University of Akron's Ocasek Natatorium.

The Polar Bears finished with 835.5 points, Mount Union was second with 740.5 points and Wilmington was third with 483.5 points.

Ohio Northern won three of 15 individual events, won four of the five relays and captured seven of 20 OAC races overall to win the 2015 Championships meet.

"The men stepped up to the challenges of the year and can take away another win knowing what they need to do next season to realize deeper elements of the plan," ONU head coach Peggy Ewald said. "We swam well enough to get the job done, but we know we can do more. The conference as a whole has continued to grow and that is productive for everyone."

Sophomore Jeremy Preston won four OAC titles to lead ONU.

He swept the 100 and 200 fly, winning the 100 fly in an NCAA "B" Cut :49.63 and the 200 fly in an NCAA "B" Cut 1:53.09.'He was also on the OAC champion 200 and 400 medley relay.

Sophomore John Raker won his second straight 400 I.M. title in 4:07.82, .38 of a second faster than his time in 2014.

In all, 11 Polar Bears earned All-Conference honors with a top-3 finish in an individual race or being a member of a relay team that finished first or second.

Junior Mitchell Murphy was a member of ONU's winning 200 and 400 free relay and 200 medley relay teams.

He also earned All-OAC kudos with second place finishes in the 50 and 100 free in :21.37 and :51.88, respectively.

Senior Jason Luthman earned All-Conference accolades with a second place finish in the 200 breast for the third consecutive season, touching in 2:08.78,and a third place finish in the 100 breast in :59.17.

He was also on ONU's winning 200 and 400 medley relay teams.

Junior Logan Pfeifer was All-OAC in the 100 free, finishing second in :46.86, and in the 50 free, finishing third in :21.46.

Pfeifer was also on ONU's winning 200 and 400 free relay teams and was All-OAC as a member of the second place 800 free relay squad.

Sophomore Eric Chen finished third in the 100 free in :46.89 and was third in the 200 free in 1:43.20 to earn All-Conference accolades in both events.

He was also on ONU's winning 200 and 400 free and 400 medley relay teams that won titles and ONU's 800 free relay team that was second. Chen led the Polar Bears by being All-OAC in six events.

Senior Spencer Franzoi, junior Sean O'Neill and freshmen Gabe Dauch and Ian Simpson all earned All-Conference kudos with third place finishes.

Franzoi was third in the 400 I.M. in 4:13.26, O'Neill was third in the 100 fly in :51.92, Dauch was third in the 200 I.M. in 1:57.54 and Simpson was third in the 100 back in :52.80.

Dauch was also a member of ONU's winning 400 free and 200 and 400 medley relay championship teams and ONU's second place 800 free relay.

Senior Chris W. Hoffman won on ONU's winning 200 free relay team and was All-OAC on ONU's second place 800 free relay team.

This year, ONU won its ninth consecutive OAC Regular Season championship with a 4-0 mark, extending its OAC Regular Season winning streak to 30 consecutive meets in the process.

The Polar Bears will now wait to see if any swimmers get selected for the NCAA III Championships March 18-21 at Shenandoah, Tex.

Team Standings

1. Ohio Northern 835.5, 2. Mount Union 740.5, 3. Wilmington 483.5, 4. John Carroll 455, 5. Transylvania (Ky.) 352.5, 6. Baldwin Wallace 245, 7. Defiance 0.