The University of Akron Athletics
Swimming & Diving Notches Fourth Straight MAC Championship
February 26 | Women's Swimming & Diving
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Day Four Results | Combined Results
OXFORD, Ohio - The Akron women's swimming and diving team never trailed en route to capturing its fourth straight MAC Championship on Saturday night at Corwin Nixon Aqautic Center on the campus of Miami (Ohio).
The Zips tallied 750 points during the meet, which marks the second highest total ever at a MAC Championship with an eight-team field.
Head coach Brian Peresie's squad closed the meet in style on Saturday by breaking the MAC record in the 400 freestyle relay.
The quartet of sophomore Sadie Fazekas (Windsor, Ontario), sophomore Ragen Engel (Springfield, Ohio), freshman Morgan Waggoner (Fremont, Ohio) and sophomore Madison Myers (Akron, Ohio) touched the wall in 3:17.17, smashing the previous MAC record of 3:19.37.
The winning time of 3:17.17 marks the 24th fastest time in the nation this season.
Over the course of the four-day meet, the Zips broke four MAC records and 11 program records.
Fazekas (100 Butterfly), Myers (200 IM), senior Luka Szynal (Lublin, Poland), junior Paloma Marrero Munoz (Merida, Spain) and freshman Jackie Pash (Carmel, Ind.) combined to win five individual MAC titles for the Zips. Szynal captured the 200 backstroke, while Pash won the 400 IM and Marrero registered a win in the 200 breaststroke.
Akron also captured three relay titles (200 Medley, 400 Medley and 400 freestyle) during the 2017 MAC Championships.
Szynal was the recipient of the MAC's Most Outstanding Senior Swimmer Award.
Peresie was named the MAC Coach of the Year for the fourth straight year and has led Akron to the MAC title in each season at the helm of the program.
Engel, Fazekas, Marrero, Myers, Pash and Szynal all earned All-MAC First Team honors for the Zips.
Senior Laura Savariau (Saint-Hiliare-la-Palud, France), junior Kristen Vargas (Baltimore, Md.) and freshman Ellie Nebraska (Columbus, Ohio) each garnered All-MAC Second Team recognition.
In the 100 backstroke, Szynal set a new meet and pool record by taking first place with a time of 1:53.38. Savariau took second for the Zips as she finished in a time of 1:56.14.
Marrero broke her own school record in the 200 breaststroke as she touched the wall in 2:10.03 to take first place, eclipsing the previous record of 2:10.59 that had been set in January.
2:10.03 is the 25th best mark in the nation this season.
Engel and Myers took home second and third in the 100 freestyle for the Zips with times of 49.21 and 49.43, respectively. Waggoner touched the wall in 50.14 to take sixth in the event.
Freshman Jessica Bonezzi (Wooster, Ohio) set a new personal-best in the 200 butterfly and placed fourth in 2:00.12.
Senior Kara Kaulius (McDonald, Pa.) finished fifth in the 1650 freestyle with a time of 16:37.22 to set a new school record. The time broke her previous mark of 16:41.07 that had been set in a double dual meet against Bowling Green and Youngstown State on Jan. 28.
On the diving boards, senior Rachel Aepelbacher (Novi, Mich.) tallied 274.20 points to post an eighth place finish for Akron.
Eastern Michigan finished the 2017 MAC Championships as the runner-up with 600 points, while Buffalo took third with 573.5
MAC Postseason Awards
Swimming Coach of the Year: Brian Peresie, Akron
Diving Coach of the Year: Buck Smith, Eastern Michigan
Most Outstanding Swimmer: Megan Burns, Buffalo
Most Outstanding Diver: Pei Lin, Miami
Most Outstanding Senior Swimmer: Luka Szynal, Akron
Freshman Swimmer of the Year: Izzy Herb, Miami
Freshman Diver of the Year: Talisa Lemke, Bowling Green
All-MAC First Team
Ragen Engel, Akron
Sadie Fazekas, Akron
Paloma Marrero, Akron
Madison Myers, Akron
Jackie Pash, Akron
Luka Szynal, Akron
Megan Burns, Buffalo
Julia Box, Buffalo
Duncan Delaney, Eastern Michigan
Alexis Mitcheltree, Eastern Michigan
Nicole Swartz, Eastern Michigan
Stephanie Lemire, Miami
Pei Lin, Miami
Ella Moynihan, Miami
Corinne Van Lanen, Ohio
All-MAC Second Team
Ellie Nebraska, Akron
Laura Savariau, Akron
Kristen Vargas, Akron
Talisa Lemke, Bowling Green
Sarah Baxter, Buffalo
Abbey Croce, Buffalo
Hannah Miller, Buffalo
Brittney Walters, Buffalo
Grace Van Allen, Eastern Michigan
Claire Young, Eastern Michigan
Emma Bradley, Miami
Izzy Herb, Miami
Holly Schuster, Miami
Emily Zimcomsky, Ohio
Jessica Avery, Toledo
Izzy Jones, Toledo
Final Team Standings
Akron- 750
Eastern Michigan- 600
Buffalo- 573.5
Miami (Ohio)- 560
Ohio- 304
Bowling Green- 294
Toledo- 240
Ball State- 161.5
