Senior Allison Lohnes wins the 100 back to lead Women's Swimming and Diving on Day 2 of OAC Championships
By Tim Glon
AKRON — Senior Allison Lohnes won the 100 back to lead the Ohio Northern women's swimming & diving team on the second day of the 2016 Ohio Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championships on Friday evening at the University of Akron's Ocasek Natatorium.
The Polar Bears have 466 points through 13 of the 20 events and sit in third place in the seven-team meet.
John Carroll leads the team standings with 525 points, Mount Union is second with 499 points and Transylvania (Ky.) is fourth with 236 points.
The top three finishers in individual races and the two two relay teams earn All-OAC honors.
After finishing runner-up in the 100 back the past two seasons, Lohnes touched first in 2016 in :57.35 to win her first title in the race.
Junior Emily Uhrin earned All-Conference accolades, posting her second consecutive second place finish, touching in 1:56.91
Lohnes, junior Molly Wheeler, freshman Alyson Rohrer and junior Jill Chapman opened the meet by earning All-Conference honors with a second place finish in the 200 medley relay in 1:47.90.
Uhrin, Rohrer, sophomore Hailee Sautter and freshman Lauren Chaney wrapped up the day with an All-Conference performance in the 800 free relay, finishing second in 7:57.99.
"Over all our positions from seed time to final swims have been on par and some beyond our expectations," ONU head coach Peggy Ewald said. "Relays have stepped up and having been pushing toward school records and OAC records set by some of our best. We are a young team, loosing few seniors so the future looks very good. For now, we are pressing the envelope, going outside the comfort zone and getting great response from the majority.
"The women are hanging strong, riding the roller coaster with the peaks and valleys. This is the first in a long time for us to not use all 18 competitors positions due to medical issues that forced two of our ladies to end their seasons early. We are very proud of the way the group stepped up to help fill the gaps as best they could."
The third and final day of the OAC Championships will be on Saturday with prelims at 11 am and finals at 5:45 pm.
Team Standings
1. John Carroll 525, 2. Mount Union 499, 3. Ohio Northern 466, 4. Baldwin Wallace 246, 5. Transylvania (Ky.) 236, 6. Wilmington 141, 7. Manchester (Ind.) 99.
