Season Review: Men's Swimming & Diving team wins 11th consecutive OAC Championships title in 2014-15

By Tim Glon

ADA — The Ohio Northern men's swimming & diving team won its 11th consecutive Ohio Athletic Conference Championships title in 2014-15 under 11th-year head coach Peggy Ewald.

The Polar Bears finished with a 7-2 dual meet record and won the OAC Regular Season title with a 4-0 record, running its OAC Regular Season winning streak to 30 matches in the process.

Northern set four school records, led by a breakout season by junior Mitchell Murphy.

Murphy broke the school record in both the 50 and 100 free events and was on ONU's record breaking 200 free relay squad.

Freshman Trevor Keriazes also set a ONU mark in the 400 I.M.

Sophomore Eric Chen, freshman Thomas Golba and sophomore Logan Pfeifer joined Murphy on the 200 free relay squad.

Senior Jason Luthman, senior Chris W. Hoffman, Chen, and senior John Willamowski were all named Academic All-OAC.

The Polar Bears finished with 835.5 points at the OAC Championships meet. 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.

"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," 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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