Lauren Halle tabbed OAC Women's Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Week

By Blake Moore

ADA — Junior swimmer Lauren Halle (Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton) has been named the OAC Women's Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Week for the first time in her career, the league office announced Monday afternoon.

The three-time Ohio Athletic Conference champion claimed an individual event title in the 400-yard individual medley at the Wooster Invitational, propelling the women's program to a sixth-place finish overall in an 11-team field. After ending fourth in the 400 IM preliminary round, the junior would touch the wall in 4:42.76 to capture the lone event title for the Polar Bears over the weekend.

She would go on to capture a second top-five effort in the 200 fly on the third and final competition day. She would end third overall with a 2:14.14, nearly claiming runner-up honors as Wooster's Anne Bowers out-touched the junior by just .01 seconds.

Additionally, Halle placed 10th individually in the 200 IM with a 2:14.62 clocking and aided four relay teams (200 free, 400 medley, 400 free, and 800 free relays) to top-10 finishes over the three-day event.

With the announcement, Halle earns the first OAC Athlete of the Week honor in her Ohio Northern career. She also becomes the first ONU female swimmer or diver to garner the accolade this season.

The Polar Bears will now break from action until early 2019. They are set to resume their schedule in January with a competition during their Winter Training trip to Arizona.