Men's Swimming Preps for Conference Meet in March
1/31/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving
Jan. 31, 2006
Regular Season Wrap Up Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Following a win over Ohio University in its final dual meet of the season, the Miami University men's swimming and diving team (4-3; 3-1 MAC) enters a five-week break from competition prior to the Mid-American Conference Championships March 2-4. With its victory over Ohio on Senior Day, Miami finished the regular season above .500 for the third consecutive season and now looks toward facing off with six-time defending conference champion Eastern Michigan at the conference meet.
HEATON SETS DIVING MARK: Freshman Chris Heaton set a new school record in the three-meter dive in Miami's loss to Eastern Michigan (Jan. 27), posting a score of 342.60. Heaton bested the previous school record of 342.20 set in 2001 by four-time MAC Diving Champion Dylan Nichols, and his score currently ranks as the top three-meter score in the conference. Heaton also owns the top one-meter score in the conference with 314.78 points, set against Wright State (Jan. 20).
SENIOR SENDOFF: On Senior Day against Ohio (Jan. 28), the class of 2006 accounted for three individual wins and nine top-three finishes, including a pair of top finishes from senior Scott Robson. Senior Andrew O'Neill also tallied a top individual finish as Miami's senior class concluded its career at Miami with a 21-19 dual meet record and three consecutive winning seasons.
THREE IN A ROW: With its win over Ohio (Jan. 28), Miami posted a 4-3 overall record and finished above .500 for the third consecutive year. Since the 1998-99 season, head coach Pete Lindsay has guided the RedHawks to six seasons above .500, with its only non-winning season coming after a 4-8 finish in 2002-03. Now in his 21st season at the helm of the Miami men's program, Lindsay has compiled 13 seasons of .500 or better. In the 2005-06 season, despite competing in fewer than 10 dual meets for the first time since the 1987-88 season, Miami completed a successful regular season with a quality non-conference win over Cleveland State and victories in 3-of-4 conference meets.
LAST TIME OUT - VERSUS EASTERN MICHIGAN (Jan. 27): Despite wins in six individual events, including freshman Chris Heaton's school record performance in the three-meter dive, Miami dropped its Mid-American Conference dual meet to the Eastern Michigan Eagles, 138-105. Eastern Michigan's victory extended its conference dual meet winning streak to 42, dating back to the 1998-99 season, and handed Miami its first conference setback of the season.
LAST TIME OUT - VERSUS OHIO (Jan. 28): On Senior Day at the Nixon Aquatic Center, Miami received a strong performance from senior Scott Robson and cruised to a 115-87 win over the Ohio Bobcats. In its final career home meet, the class of 2006 accounted for three individual wins, including nine top-three finishes, with Robson as the only Miami swimmer with multiple wins (200 individual medley and 500 free).
RICARD CONTINUES WINNING WAYS: Junior Paul Ricard wrapped up a successful regular season last weekend, tallying three individual wins against Eastern Michigan and Ohio and moving his team leading individual win total to 14. A year after redshirting, Ricard has proved to be the RedHawks most consistent swimmer, posting wins in all nine of Miami's meets and winning multiple events on five occasions. Ricard, who also set the Miami school record in the 1,650 free this season, looks to be the first Miami swimmer to win a MAC individual title since the 2003-04 season.
MARCY EMERGES: Junior Justin Marcy posted impressive performances in Miami's final home weekend, tallying three wins in the freestyle sprint events. Against the six-time defending conference champion Eastern Michigan Eagles (Jan. 27), Marcy swept the freestyle sprint events, including a season-best and team-best performance in the 50 free (21.29). He followed with another win in the 100 free against Ohio (Jan. 28), touching the wall with a season-best and team-best time of 46.28.
TOP OF THE MAC: On the latest best list for the Mid-American Conference, Miami owns four of the top times/scores in the conference. Junior Paul Ricard owns two top times in the 500 free (4:30.93 - Dec. 2, Miami Invitational) and the 1,000 free (9:20.44 - Oct. 28, Cleveland State), while freshman Chris Heaton owns the two top diving scores in the conference. Heaton tallied the top one-meter dive score of 314.78 against Wright State (Jan. 20), and he set Miami's school record on the three-meter board with a score of 342.60 against Eastern Michigan (Jan. 27).
NATIONAL RECOGNITION: In the latest Division I Mid-Major Poll released by collegeswimming.com, Miami is ranked No. 12. Harvard owns the No. 1 ranking, while the defending MAC Champion Eastern Michigan Eagles are the only other MAC school ranked among the top 25. EMU is ranked No. 7 in the poll. The rankings, which feature 14 mid-major conferences and independent schools, are based on each team's best dual-meet lineup as judged and submitted by participating teams.
BESTING A LEGEND: On Dec. 1, junior Paul Ricard broke an 18-year-old school record in the 1,650 free owned by Miami Hall of Famer Dick Clarke, clocking in with a first-place time of 15:20.03. Ricard's time bested Clarke's old record of 15:29.75 which was set in 1987. Ricard's time was Miami's first "B" cut of the season for either the men's or women's teams, and it ranks as the 18th-fastest time nationally.
FOR ALL YOUR HARDWARE NEEDS: Two Miami men's athletes have been named the Mid-American Conference Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Week this season, with senior diver Zach Niehaus and junior swimmer Paul Ricard combining to win the first three weekly conference awards. Niehaus won the award on Nov. 15 after he swept the boards in Miami's 145-96 win against Ball State (Nov. 12), and Ricard was named the conference's swimmer of the week for the first two weeks of the season (Nov. 1 and Nov. 8).
SPREADING THE WEALTH: In the 2005-06 season, 13 different Miami athletes have tallied top finishes, including three first-time winners in the RedHawks' final home weekend--Michael Donohoe, Nick Kleinert and Justin Marcy. Miami's top individual winner is two-time MAC Swimmer of the Week Paul Ricard with 14 individual wins, and he is one of five RedHawks to post multiple victories at a meet. Other Miami athletes to accomplish the feat are: Chris Heaton, Justin Marcy, Zach Niehaus and Scott Robson.
AND THE WINNER IS: The following is a complete list of the Miami athletes who have posted individual wins in the 2005-06 season:
Michael Donohoe - (1) Ohio (200 fly)
Scott DuCharme - (1) Ball State (500 free)
Chris Heaton - (6) Buffalo (3-meter dive), UC/KC/UL Quadrangular (1-meter dive), Wright State (1-, 3-meter dive), EMU (3-meter dive), Ohio (1-meter dive)
Nick Kleinert - (1) EMU (1-meter dive)
Theo Kuczek - (3) Cleveland State (50 free), Buffalo (200 breast), Ball State (50 free)
Justin Marcy - (3) EMU (50 free, 100 free), Ohio (100 free)
Griffin Marshall - (2) Cleveland State (200 breast), Ohio State (100 breast)
Zach Niehaus - (5) Buffalo (1-meter dive), Ball State (1-, 3-meter dive), UC/KC/UL Quadrangular (3-meter dive), Ohio (3-meter dive)
Blake Norman - (2) Cleveland State (200 IM), Ball State (200 breast)
Andrew O'Neill - (3) Buffalo (200 back), Wright State (200 back), Ohio (200 back)
Paul Ricard -(14) Cleveland State (500 free, 1000 free), Buffalo (500 free), Ohio State (500 free), Ball State (200 free, 200 fly), Miami Invite (1,650 free), UC/KC/UL Quadrangular (500 free, 1,000 free), Wright State (500 free, 1,000 free), EMU (500 free, 1,000 free), Ohio (200 free)
Scott Robson - (5) Cleveland State (200 fly), Buffalo (200 fly), Ball State (1,000 free), Ohio (200 IM, 500 free)
Zachary Siegel - (1) Buffalo (50 free)
Players Mentioned
