Women's Swimming and Diving Looks to Reclaim MAC Championship
2/26/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
Feb. 26, 2002
OXFORD, Ohio -- Fresh off its best dual meet season ever, Miami's women's swimming and diving team will be one of the top contenders Feb. 28-March 2 at the 2002 Mid-American Conference Championships in Ypslianti, Mich.
Having finished second to Ohio the last two years, the RedHawks, who went undefeated in the MAC for the first time in five years, appear to have the right ingredients to claim their 12th conference crown, with no less than eight swimmers and divers expected to contend for individual titles.
Back to defend her 1,650 freestyle championship is sophomore Amy Miranda (Louisville, Ky./Sacred Heart Academy). Her top time this season in the event is the fastest in the MAC by more than 33 seconds. She and freshman Cara Magee (Wauseon, Ohio/Wauseon) should also be in the running in the 500 free.
The other RedHawk on the roster with a conference title to her credit is senior Colleen Rambasek (Kettering, Ohio/Alter), that coming in the 50 free when she was a freshman. She should again be a factor in that race as well as the 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly.
Senior Kelly Janura (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) hopes to break through in the 50 and 100 free after placing second in both last year. She owns the fastest clocking this season in the MAC in those two events.
Another senior looking for her first crown is Emily Nayes (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie), who has finished runner-up at MACs four times in her career. Her 200 breast and 400 individual medley times are tops in the conference, while her 200 IM clocking ranks third.
Along with Magee, three other freshmen look to have a shot at top honors in various competitions. Of her three events, Trisha Lamb (Oregon, Ohio/Notre Dame Academy) has the best chance of winning the 200 back, but she also should be right in the thick of things in the 200 and 400 IM.
First-year swimmer Michelle Reynolds (Wyoming, Ohio/Wyoming) is the odds-on favorite in the 200 fly with a season-best time of 2:03.52, which is the fastest in the MAC by almost 1.75 seconds. She also is a leading candidate for conference titles in the 500 free and 100 fly.
One- and three-meter diving could belong to Sara Gonso (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central), whose best six-dive score on each board makes her the No. 1 seed heading into the meet.
Preliminaries begin each day at 11 a.m., with finals set to go off at 7 p.m.