Oct. 23, 2008

CLEVELAND -

The Ohio swimming and diving team was picked to win the 2009 Mid-American Conference Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll, as announced by the league office Thursday.

The Bobcats are coming off their tenth MAC Championship, after taking home the honor in 2008. Ohio returns 17 swimmers and two divers from its championship squad, including four First-Team All-MAC selections. Sophomores Rachel Heim (San Diego, Calif.), the 2008 100 butterfly MAC Champion, Amanda Cecere (Chelmsford, Mass.), the 2008 200 butterfly MAC Champion, and Stacey Huber (Gainesville, Fla.), the 2008 1650 freestyle MAC Champion, along with senior, four-time individual MAC Champion Ashley Marion (London, Ontario) are the First-Team returnees. Also coming back for the ’Cats are junior Leah Giancarli (Akron, Ohio) and sophomore Amanda Traylor (Los Alamitos, Calif.), who were both All-MAC Second Team recipients in 2008.

Head coach Greg Werner enters his 14th season at the helm of the program and has accumulated an impressive 129-31-2 record in women’s dual meets. He has coached Ohio to three MAC Championships and has been named MAC Coach of the Year three times, including last season.

Miami, who finished fourth a season ago, was predicted to finish second behind the Bobcats, followed by Toledo, who was second last year, and Eastern Michigan. Bowling Green and Buffalo tied for fifth in the poll, while Akron and Ball State rounded out the preseason rankings in seventh and eighth, respectively.

Ohio opens its regular season Friday, Oct. 24 at the Debbie Pipher Memorial Invitational hosted by Washington State University in Pullman, Wash. The Bobcats’ first MAC meet will be Friday, Oct. 31 at Akron, while the MAC Championships will be held Feb. 25-28 at Bowling Green State University.

Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1. OHIO
2. Miami
3. Toledo
4. Eastern Michigan
t-5. Bowling Green
t-5. Buffalo
7. Akron
8. Ball State