Swimming & Diving sweeps Penn State-Behrend in training trip meet in Mesa, Arizona

By Tim Glon

MESA, Ariz. — The Ohio Northern men's and women's swimming and diving teams took a break from their grueling training schedules on Wednesday to have a small competition against Penn State-Behrend at the Skyline Aquatics Center.

Although official times and winners were not kept, the ONU men topped the Lions 293-123 and the Polar Bear women won 315-79.

The meet used the Eddie Reese Invite List format which features 19 swimming events using all five strokes of lengths from 50 to 600 yards.

"It was a great dual meet," ONU head coach Peggy Ewald said. "We had some fun with the event list being so different from our normal lists and swimming another DIII team, who also winter trains out here in Arizona, was a great way to mix things up and freshen us for the return to Ohio and our regular season meet schedule.

"The weather has been a bit cold, below normal for AZ, but outdoor swimming is always a breath of fresh air for us even if it's in the 40's. The pools out here are all outdoors making the facility staff used to the elements and keeping them heated. We're getting a great week of work out of the team in prep to finish the last third of the season strong."

The Polar Bears will return to action next weekend when they travel to Oberlin on Friday and host Mount Union in a key Ohio Athletic Conference battle at the ONU Sports Center Natatorium on Saturday at 1 pm.