2012 OAC Men's Swimming & Diving Championships - Day 1 Recap

No. 11-ranked Ohio Northern won three of the five events, setting two OAC records and surpassing three NCAA “B” Cuts, to lead after Day 1 of the 2012 Ohio Athletic Conference Swimming & Diving  Championships Thursday night at the University of Akron’s Ocasek Natatorium.

ONU holds an 82-point lead after five of the 20 events with 272 points. John Carroll is second with 190 points, Mount Union is third with 136, Wilmington is fourth with 84, Baldwin-Wallace is fifth with 44 and OAC newcomer Defiance is sixth with 11 points.

John Carroll’s 200 free relay team of senior Brendan Schloendorn, senior Alex Vereshchagin, senior Eric Davis and sophomore Nick Holvey set a new OAC record with a winning time of 1:24.08.  The Blue Streaks have now won the event for the fourth time in the last six years.

Ohio Northern senior Michael Schultz won his fourth OAC crown in the 500 free, finishing more than five seconds ahead of the field in an NCAA “B” Cut of 4:33.07.

ONU junior Drew Keriazes broke the ONU and OAC records and surpassed the NCAA “B” Cut in the 200 I.M., winning the event in 1:53.51.

Keriazes, the 2011 OAC Men’s Swimmer of the Year, is now a three-time champion in the event.

Ohio Northern sophomore Jordan Breitigam also surpassed the NCAA “B” Cut in the 200 I.M., earning All-OAC accolades with a second place finish in 1:54.12.

John Carroll’s Vereshchagin and Schloendorn finished 1-2 in the 50 free. Vereshchagin surpassed the NCAA “B” Cut, winning in the event in 20.82 seconds, while Schloendorn finished second in 21.06 seconds.

For the eighth consecutive season, ONU won the men’s 400 medley relay.

The Polar Bear squad of freshman Brian Heilbronner, Keriazes, Breitigam and Schultz broke OAC record by winning in 3:27.62.

Day two of the three-day championships will continue on Friday.