MAC Women’s Swimmer of the Week (two honorees)
Malarie Schmidt ? Miami
Senior - Batavia, IL/Rosary
Malarie Schmidt re-wrote her own MAC record in the 100 backstroke finals (:55.07) on Friday. On Friday morning in the prelims of that event, she broke the MAC record with a time of :55.25. As a member of Miami's 400 medley relay team, Schmidt helped the RedHawks set a MAC record (3:41.98). Three other relay teams (200 freestyle relay, 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay) on which she swam set Miami records. Altogether, Schmidt participated in nine finals, winning five and finishing second in a sixth race.
Jacy Dyer - Toledo
Sophomore - Lebanon, Penn./Cedar Crest
Dyer broke three school records and two MAC records at the EMU Invitational on Friday and Saturday. She raced to a first-place finish in the 1650 freestyle on Friday with a time of 16:25.12 (the old record was 16:30.70 by Amy Miranda of Miami in 2003). The Lebanon, Penn. native finished 37 seconds ahead of her closest competitor for the Toledo and Mid-American Conference record. Also, her first 1000 of the race clocked in at a Toledo and MAC record as well as she completed the distance in 9:55.45 (the old record was 9:58.78 by Kim van Selm of Ohio in 1999.). Dyer was the first MAC competitor to touch the wall in the 500 freestyle as the new Toledo record of 4:51.71 also netted her a second-place overall finish in the event. Dyer also contributed to a second-place performance in the 800 freestyle relay as the Toledo squad posted a time of 7:35.47.
Additional Women’s Nominees
Stephanie Zielinski ? Akron
Junior - Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan
Zielinski broke a pair of meet and school records over the weekend, helping Akron to a third place finish in the Zippy Invitational. The junior set new standards in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle events while also claiming six top-five relay and individual finishes in final events over the weekend. Zielinski claimed the new school and meet record as she registered a first place mark in the 100-yard freestyle (51.40). Despite finishing second in the 50-yard freestyle final with 23.50, Zielinski set school and meet records earlier, swimming her preliminary race in 23.29. The Philadelphia, Pa. native added a fourth place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke with a 1:05.51 timestamp. In relay competition, Zielinski assisted Akron “A” teams with a pair of third place finishes in the 200-yard and 400-yard freestyle relays (1:36.15, 3:31.03) as well as a fourth place result in the 400-yard medley relay (3:34.81).
Mary Ehresman ? Ball State
Junior - Lafayette, Ind./Jefferson H.S.
Ehresman helped guide the Ball State women’s swimming & diving team to first-place at the seven-team 2008 House of Champions Invitational hosted by IUPUI, by collecting a pair of individual first-place efforts, while aiding in a relay win. During the second day of competition Saturday, Ehresman was BSU’s top individual performer, taking home first in both the 400 IM (4:34.84) and 1650 freestyle (17:46.10), while helping guide the 800 freestyle relay squad (Maria Gramelspacher, Elizabeth Spilman, Katie Bylsma and Ehresman) to a first-place clocking of 7:49.52. On Friday, Ehresman opened the meet with a second-place showing in the 500 freestyle (5:08.96). Both her 500 freestyle and 400 IM times were season-best efforts, while the team’s 800 freestyle relay clocking was the MAC’s third-best effort to date this season.
Vicky Yu ? Bowling Green
Freshman - Shenyang, China
Vicky Yu had an outstanding meet at the Ohio State Invitational. She broke the previous BGSU record by over one second in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:02:02. IOn Saturday she placed 12th in the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 4:27.13. Yu was part of the 400-yard freestyle relay team that took 11th, the 200-yard medley relay team who took 7th place and the 800-freestyle relay that took 10th.
Brynn Marecki ? Buffalo
Freshman - Livonia, MI/Stevenson
Marecki broke the UB record in the 100 breaststroke for the third time this season as she helped the Bulls to a fourth-place finish at the Zippy Invite. Marecki won the race in 1:04.11 and also scored a first-place victory in the 200 breaststroke in 2:20.29. The freshman also placed fourth in the 200 IM and helped the 200 and 400 medley relays to third-place finishes.
Alissa Ricard ? Eastern Michigan
Senior - Tucson, Ariz.-Catalina Foothills
Helped EMU to a runner-up finish at the EMU Invitational. Was runner-up in the 100 (51.69) and 200 (1:47.03) free races, as well as placing fifth in the 50 freestyle (24.25) on the individual side. Was a member of the second-place 400 free relay (3:28.70) team, as well as helping the 200 (1:47.03) and 800 free relay (7:36.88) teams and the 200 medley (1:47.03) team to third place finishes.
Lindsay Hamilton ? Ohio
Junior - White City, Saskatchewan/Greenall
Lindsay won both 1-meter and 3-meter diving at the 13-team Zippy Invitational this past weekend. She scored a season-high 281.50 points to win the 1-meter Friday, missing her personal best by less than three points. On Saturday, Lindsay took home the 3-meter title, setting another season high with 279.80 points.
Previous Women’s Swimmers of the Week
Oct. 21: Jacy Dyer, Toledo
Oct. 28: Kasey Carpenter, Miami
Nov. 4: Stephanie Zielinski, Akron
Nov. 11: Allison Stevens, Miami; and Ashley Marion Ohio
Nov. 18: Cathryn Collins, Akron
Nov. 26: Mary Ehresman, Ball State
Dec. 3: no competition
Last Week’s Women’s Results
Miami Invitational ? Miami, first
Zippy Invitational ? Ohio first; Akron third; Buffalo fourth
EMU Invitational ? Eastern Michigan first; Toledo third.
House of Champions (at Indianapolis) ? Ball State, first
Ohio State Invitational ? Bowling Green, sixth
This Week’s Women’s Schedule
December 13 ? Saturday
Ball State at Michigan State, 2 pm