Lauren Halle wins 200 I.M., sets school record to lead Women's Swimming & Diving on first day of OAC Championships
By Tim Glon
| OAC Championships Site | ONU's Placers by Event |
AKRON — Sophomore Lauren Halle (Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton) won the 200 I.M. in school-record fashion to lead the Ohio Northern women on the first day of the 2018 Ohio Athletic Conference Swimming & Diving Championships on Thursday at the University of Akron's Ocasek Natatorium.
Halle edged John Carroll's Gwyn Ledrick in the 200 I.M. by just .42 of a second, winning in 2:08.26. Her time broke the previous mark of 2:08.79 set in 2016 by Allison Lohnes.
Senior Sydney Veon (Riverside, Ill./Riverside-Brookfield) earned All-OAC kudos in the 50 free, finishing third in :23.99. She is now a three-time All-OAC performer in the event, finishing second last year and third in 2016.
Junior Kierra Watson (Brownsburg, Ind.), Halle, freshman Marissa Taylor (Granite Falls, N.C./South Caldwell) and Veon earned All-Conference honors with a second place finish in the 200 free relay in 1:38.30.
The top three finishers in each individual event and the top two relay teams earn All-Conference honors.
The Polar Bears are gunning for their eighth OAC Championships crown under 14th-year head coach Peggy Ewald and are third of five teams through five of the 20 events.
John Carroll leads the team standings with 247.5 points, Mount Union is second with 172 points, Baldwin Wallace is third with 144 points, Ohio Northern is fourth with 141.5 points and Wilmington is fifth with 88 points.
Day two of the three-day championships is Friday with prelims at 10 am and finals at 6 pm and the final day is Saturday with prelims at 10 am and finals at 5:30 pm.
Team Standings After Day 1
1. John Carroll 247.5, 2. Mount Union 172, 3. Baldwin Wallace 144, 4. Ohio Northern 141.5, 5. Wilmington 88.