Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Ohio
Thundering Herd Records First Win in Athens
1/27/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
Final Results
ATHENS, Ohio- The action came down to the final relay, but when it was over, the Marshall Swimming and Diving team escaped with its first win in Athens after knocking off the host Ohio Bobcats 151.5-147.5.
The meet started with an upset victory in the 200 Medley Relay (1:45.69). Jordyn O'Dell, Catherine Bendziewicz, Hannah Robins and Lauren Cowher posted the Herd's fastest dual meet time of the season with the win.
The Bobcats then reeled off six straight wins and a tie for first in the 100 Breaststroke with Marshall's Bendziewicz.
Caroline Wanner broke the streak by winning the 200 Backstroke (2:04.94) and then Emma Lockyer followed with a shocking victory over Ohio's top two Breaststrokers in the 200 yard event (2:21.78).
The Herd took that momentum into the 500 Freestyle. Anna Lynch continued her stellar January swims by winning (5:00.35). Savannah Ruedt followed in third with a career-best dual meet time (5:03.26), and Angelica Di Marzio ran down two Bobcats in the last 50 yards to snatch the fourth place points (5:06.34).
After Ohio countered by winning both the 100 Butterfly and 1-Meter Diving, Marshall had two events to left.
Down 16, Marshall's 200 Individual Medley swimmers placed 1-2-4 to cut the lead to five. Wanner took the win (2:06.13) followed by Lockyer (2:06.25) and a substitute entry, Maggie Stovall came from behind to place 4th (2:10.63).
Marshall then used a 1-3 finish in the 400 Freestyle Relay to seal the win by a mere 4 points. Darby Coles, Bendziewicz, O'Dell, and Lynch combined for the relay win (3:29.67).
Head Coach Bill Tramel:
On Marshall's depth:
"What a team effort tonight! Usually the team with the most wins is victorious. Tonight, Ohio won more events, but our depth won the meet for us. It was a true team win."
On the close races:
"This meet had so many races that were decided by hundredths of a second. The third, fourth, fifth-place points won this meet for us. I pointed out in our meeting that so many individuals can say what they specifically did tonight single-handedly won the meet."
On the team:
"There was sacrifice and really a `what can I do to help my team' attitude. We have been stressing details and finishes all year, but especially this month. It's all about focus and having the discipline, to have accountability. We executed tonight in a selfless effort for Marshall University. Now this team is the first-ever to win at Ohio. That's something I hope they can be proud of for the rest of their lives."
On looking forward:
"We had lifetime-bests tonight (Coles and Lockyer). You always want to be competing at your best moving into the championship season. We are doing that and looking forward to the conference championships."
Marshall returns to action next Friday at the Virginia Tech Invitational in Christiansburg, Va. before heading to Conference USA Championships in Atlanta, February 21-24.
Players Mentioned
