Season Preview: Men's Swimming & Diving looks for 13th consecutive OAC Championships title in 2016-17
By Tom McArdle
ADA — The Ohio Northern men's swimming & diving team will look to win its 13th consecutive Ohio Athletic Conference Championships title in 2016-17 under 13th-year head coach Peggy Ewald.
Northern returns an experienced group of swimmers from the 2015-16 squad, including 14 letterwinners, six OAC Champions and eight All-Conference honorees.
ONU swept the five relays and won both diving contests at the 2016 OAC Championships and return the bulk of those men.
Junior Braden Kuhn (Tiffin/Columbian) swept the 1- and 3-meter diving events and was named the 2016 OAC Diver of the Year.
Seniors Eric Chen (Mason) and Logan Pfeifer (Bucyrus/Colonel Crawford), juniors Ian Simpson (Strongsville) and Thomas Golba (Kettering/Alter) and sophomore Pete He (Mason) all return this season after winning OAC titles in the relays in 2016.
Golba, Chen and Pfeifer look to defend their 200 free relay title, which came in OAC-record fashion in 1:23.43.
Chen, He and Pfeifer swam on the record-setting 400 free relay team that won the title in an ONU and OAC record 3:04.23 and were on the 800 free relay team that won in 6:53.28.
Simpson and He were on the winning the 200 medley relay team and Simpson and Chen helped win the 400 medley relay.
In individual events, Chen was All-OAC in the 100 and 200 free races, Pfeifer was All-OAC in the 50 free and senior John Raker (Lebanon/Lakota West) was All-OAC in the 200 fly and 400 I.M. events.
Sophomore Anthony Ferrell returns as an All-Conference honoree in the 200 breast and He is an All-OAC honoree in the 100 and 200 fly events.
Pfeifer competes in freestyle sprints in addition to relays. He placed third in the 50 free and fourth in the 100 free.
Senior John Raker (Lebanon/Lakota West) swims butterfly and individual medley, taking second in the 200 fly and the 400 I.M. at the OAC Championships meet.
Golba had a strong year swimming in freestyle and breast stroke events, including a sixth-place finish in the 100 breast.
Simpson took third place in the 100 back to earn All-Conference honors and was fourth in the 200 back.
He earned OAC Swimmer of the Week honors once last season and took was third in the 100 and 200 Fly events at the OAC Championships.
Senior Joey Mullen (Springfield/Shawnee), juniors Duggan Trenary (Marion, Iowa/Linn-Mar), Michael Drake (Fairfield), Charles Ranck (Ashtabula/Lakeside) and Conor Cassara (Westhampton, N.Y./Westhampton Beach), and sophomores Gabe Rastatter (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) and Justin Chapman (Springboro) also return as lettermen.
Trenary competes in the 100 and 200 fly events. Drake earned sixth place in the 200 fly and 10th in the 400 I.M. last year.
Ranck is back to the squad after a one-year absence and looks to contribute in the distance and back events.
Cassara placed seventh in the 100 and 200 breast last year at the OAC Championships.
Ferrell earned third place in the 200 breast and fifth place in the 100 Breast. Rastatter competes in sprint free events.
Chapman looks to have a strong sophomore season in free and I.M. events.
"The men's team has such a competitive nature - it will help them push each other to be the best version they can be," Ewald said. "Leadership will be needed to keep the focus on the areas most needed and to strike the balance of academic to athletics as we move further into the season. We have some lofty goals that are obtainable if the focus stays on the basics. It's going to be interesting to see consistency and confidence pay off while we become creative with where everyone can best contribute."
The Polar Bears welcome seven newcomers to the 2016-17 team.
Northern will open its season Oct. 15 at the Kenyon Relays and the Denison Diving Meet.
ONU will host dual meets with Wilmington, Wittenberg, Oberlin and Baldwin Wallace and will compete at the OAC Championships Feb. 16-18 at the University of Akron's Ocasek Natatorium.