RedHawks Look To Stay In First Place At Ohio
1/26/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving
Jan. 26, 2004
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This Week: Miami University's men's swimming and diving team returns to action after a two-week lay-off at Ohio University on Fri., Jan. 30. The RedHawks and Bobcats hit the pool at 4 p.m, as the Red and White look to remain in first place and undefeated in the MAC.
Last Time Out: The RedHawks swept Kenyon and Cincinnati in dual meet action last Friday, Jan. 16. MU upended the Lords, 187-101, and Bearcats, 164-125, to remain undefeated at home. Kenyon has won the last 24 Division III National Championships and is ranked No. 1 in the latest D-III national polls.
On Saturday, Miami fell to a tough Ohio State squad, 151-86, in Columbus, to end a three-meet winning streak. Freshman Paul Ricard (Bowling Green, Ohio/Bowling Green) was the lone winner, hitting the wall first in the 1650 freestyle.
View From The Top: With a 2-0 conference mark, the RedHawks sit atop the MAC standings in a first-place tie with Eastern Michigan. Winners of 23 MAC Championships, the Eagles were picked to win the MAC in the coaches' preseason poll, while Miami was picked third. MU last won a conference title in 1999, the second championship in a three-year span. If Miami wins at Ohio on Jan. 30, and EMU defeats Buffalo on Jan. 31, the two teams would collide in a first-place showdown, Feb. 7, in Oxford.
Great Scott!: Sophomore Scott Robson (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard South) has been on a tear lately, putting together a streak of five meets with a victory. Between Nov. 8 and Jan. 16, he won six events in a five-meet span. Four times he was victorious in the 200 butterfly, with his other two wins coming in the 400 individual medley and 500 free against Xavier. At the Miami Invitational, Robson was the only RedHawk victorious, leading MU to a second-place finish.
Robson's streak ended at Ohio State, Jan. 17, where he took second in the 500 freestyle and third in the 1650 free.
Mid-Major: Miami currently sits in fourth place in the most recent CollegeSwimming.com Mid-Major poll. Among teams that have entered their team scores, the RedHawks sit fourth with 243.15 points behind Western Kentucky (3rd place- 245.47 points), Southwest Missouri State (2nd- 245.47) and last year's MAC Champions, Eastern Michigan in first with 249.85 points. The Mid-Major Poll consists of 22 conferences that are excluded from lucrative football and basketball television contracts.
Swimmers Of The Week: Freshman Paul Ricard (Bowling Green, Ohio/Bowling Green) was the latest of three RedHawks to take home MAC Swimmer of the Week honors. Ricard's honor came on Nov. 25th and was preceded by a weekend of action that saw the distance specialist remain perfect in both the 500 and 1000 freestyle events.
Ricard joined Andrew Keefe (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) and junior Peter Donohue (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin), who won back-to-back awards for Miami on Nov. 3 and Nov. 10.
Up Next: Miami entertains 23-time MAC Champion Eastern Michigan at the Corwin M. Nixon Aquatic Center on Saturday, Feb. 7, in its last regular-season meet. The RedHawks and Eagles are tied for first in the MAC with identical 2-0 conference, and 5-3 overall, records.
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