Cassie Fennell wins 50 free, ONU relays set two OAC records as Women's Swimming & Diving leads after day 1 of OAC Championships Related Links: OAC Championships Site Day 1 Results

By: Jay Garneau

AKRON — Senior Cassie Fennell won the 50 free and two Ohio Northern women's swimming relay teams broke Ohio Athletic Conference records, leading the Polar Bears into first place after Day 1 of the 2011 OAC Swimming and Diving Championships at University of Akron's Ocasek Natatorium Thursday night.

ONU sits in first place with 84 points, followed by Mount Union, with 59 points.

Fennell joins the two relay teams as OAC champions. Fennell won the 50 free in 24.63, while junior teammate Alison Garbash received All-OAC honors with a third place finish in 24.84.

In the 200 free relay, Fennell teamed with juniors Kaitlyn Early and Alison Garbash and sophomore Mackenzie Hoffman to win in 1:38.28, breaking John Carroll's record of 1:39.32 set last year.

The Polar Bears also shattered their own 2009 record of 4:02.62 in the 400 medley relay. Early combined with senior Lacey Shumate and freshmen Kasey Manko and Lindsey Rayhill to finish first in 3:59.13, breaking the previous record by more than three seconds.

Three more Polar Bears received All-OAC kudos by finishing in the top three of their events.

Early and Hoffman touched second and third in the 500 free, with times of 5:13.50 and 5:15.09, respectively.

Shumate also added a second-place finish for ONU by completing the 200 IM in 2:12.48.

After winning its fifth straight OAC regular season title, Northern is seeking its fourth OAC Championship in five years.

Ohio Northern will look to extend its lead throughout the weekend. Prelims will begin at 11 a.m. with finals at 6 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday to determine the OAC Champions.