Women's Swimming & Diving opens 2016-17 season with fourth place finish at 8-team Kenyon Relays, Denison Diving Meet

By Tim Glon

The Ohio Northern women's swimming and diving team opened its 2016-17 season with a fourth place finish at the Kenyon Relays and the Denison Diving Meet on Saturday.

The teams swam at Kenyon and the divers competed at Denison.

The Polar Bears finished tied for fourth place out of eight teams with 74 points.

Kenyon and Denison tied for first place with 160 points each, Wooster was third with 82 points and ONU and Ohio Wesleyan tied for fourth with 74 points.

Senior Stacie Melody (Dublin/Jerome) led Ohio Northern, as she was on all three of the squad's top-4 finishing relays.

Melody, freshman Lauren Halle (Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton) and seniors Sydney Veon (Riverside, Ill. / Brookfield) and Molly Wheeler (Sylvania/Northview) finished third in the 200 breast relay in 2:12.46.

The 400 I.M. relay team of Halle, Melody, sophomore Kierra Watson (Brownsburg, Ind.) and Wheeler was third in 4:24.77.

Watson, Melody, junior Kasey Mucher (Arlington, Tex./Oakridge) and senior Kelsey Brebberman (Maumee) finished fourth in 1:59.70.

In the diving competition, freshmen Elizabeth Sartschev (Parma/Normandy) and Samantha Nelson (Washington Court House/Washington) combined to finish fifth with 225.40 points.

"Beginning our competitive season with total team events, relays, is an amazing way to kick off the season," ONU head coach Peggy Ewald said. "It's always great competition at this meet, swimming the nation's best in DIII, Kenyon & Denison along with others from the NCAC. We were excited to step up and have some fun testing the fast water in Gambier.

"We are able to learn and take away the areas we are executing well and had our eyes opened to areas we need to stay committed to and make the changes needed to keep progressing.  

This season has been a reset year. Reset the team approach and attitude. We have worked the plan well for three weeks, and today got to see some of that work unfold. More is ahead of us.

"We will need to stay focused and rise to challenges as we push the team outside their comfort zone to see growth. Overall, it felt good to see them racing and supporting each other as a team."

The Polar Bears will return to action Oct. 28 when they open Ohio Athletic Conference action when they host Wilmington at 6 pm at the ONU Sports Center Natatorium.