Carpenter Wins MAC Championship; School Records Fall in 50 Free and 200 Free Relay

Thursday morning's prelim session exceeded expectations as the Bulls posted numerous lifetime best performances and positioned themselves for a record breaking final session. The day's first event, the 500 free, was highlighted by Jordan Deren's 8th place finish (4:53.82). Four of the five preliminary swims by the Bulls in this event were lifetime best performances.

Sophomores Alie Schirmers and Brynn Marecki led the way in the 200 IM. Alie placed 4th overall with a time of 2:03.24, dropping 3 seconds from her previous lifetime best. Brynn placed 14th, with an in-season best prelim swim. In the 50 free, junior Jessie Koltz finished 11th with a personal best 23.29 and freshman Caroline Simmons placed 2nd with a school record time of 22.86. Caroline's time was also a NCAA "B" cut!

The final individual event of the evening was the 1-meter diving competition. Senior Meili Carpenter put the final touches on an outstanding season on 1-meter, where she went undefeated on 1-meter. After qualifying in first place, Meili made things a little interesting. She battled back following a slight miss on her first dive to win the competition and her first MAC Championship! Congrats Meili!

The evening concluded with the 200 free relay. The Buffalo team of Jessie Koltz, Sam Palma, Karly Moore, and Caroline Simmons placed 4th, breaking the school record. Their time of 1:32.92 broke the previous record set last season by nearly a full second!

Stay tune for more updates as the meet continues! GO BULLS!!!!!

Let the Championships Begin...Day 1 of the Women's MAC Championships

"LUCK IS WHEN PREPARATION MEETS OPPORTUNITY."

Wednesday night was the start of the 2010 Women's MAC Swimming & Diving Championships. It was the first day when the Buffalo women were able to put their "luck" to the test.

After prehaps the longest two hour warm-up in the history of swimming, the clock changed to 7 p.m. and the backstrokers for each of the medley relays entered the water. Within seconds, the 200 medley relay was underway and there was no turning back! The event did not disappoint, as a mere 6-tenths of a second separated the top 4 teams. The team of Jessica Ballard, Brynn Marecki, Jessie Koltz, and Caroline Simmons placed 4th with a time of 1:40.82. Although the Bulls were looking to repeat as conference champions, it was definitely a great start to the meet. The winning time of 1:40.20 fell short of the MAC record set by Buffalo last season.

Following a 30 minute break, it was time for the 800 free relay. After the excitement of the medley relay, it was hard to match the intensity that came from the fast paced relay, but the 800 would not take a back seat. There were several races within the race itself, including those for school records. The relay team of Jessica Ballard, Jordan Deren, Alie Schirmers, and Logan Mason fell just short of breaking the school record set last season.

Congrats to the Bulls...and let the LUCK continue!

Buffalo Women Gear Up For MAC Championships

With the MAC Championships beginning on Wednesday, the Buffalo Women's team headed to Oxford, Ohio today. After weeks and months of demanding training both in and out of the pool, the team has enjoyed their much deserved rest over the past two weeks as tapered began and the final stages of fine tuning were completed.

After arriving in Oxford this afternoon and checking into the hotel, the team headed to the pool for a loosen-up swim. The atmosphere is already one of excitement and anticipation as each team took advantage of the opportunity to "remove the travel". It was nice to see "old" friends and former club team members, while showing a lot of school pride.

Tomorrow night is the start of a weekend that compares to few these ladies will ever experience in their athletic careers. Stay tuned for more....

GO BULLS!

Senior Perspectives - Kevin Song

Kevin Song:
"I must say that the last 4 years have been full of great memories and moments, and I would not trade this UB Swimming experience for any other. As much as I look forward to growing fat and lazy after MAC's, over spring break and onwards, I will miss being a part of this team and being with such a great group of people. From the good moments, like beating Miami, academic successess, swimming wheels, posting best time sheets, dropping the hammer, and playing shree....to the difficult and challenging times, it has all been a very educational and rewarding experience. I am sure this experience will help me more than I know it in the coming years, and bring back many fond memories. This team has come a long way and accomplished much since I first joined, and this is just the beginning. I am glad to have been part of it all, and I am excited for the success the future will surely bring to the team. Go Bulls!"

Kevin

Senior Perspectives - Jessica Ballard

"Since I've been at UB, I've had a lot of great times, just as many hard times, and I've learned more than I need to know. Although, when I look back on my four years here, all I can seem to think of is what I will be missing out on in the years to come.

My first two years weren't my best; not marked by any unfortunate events, but not marked by any good ones. It was some time during my third year, when I was pushed (forcefully...) by coaches and driven by my teammates, that I remembered how to swim, and remembered how much I love it.

I did not find any degree of closure in writing this. I am ready to sleep in, to go to class dry, to go out on Friday nights, and to spend an extra fifteen hours a week being bored out of my mind. But there are many more things that I am not ready to give up. In leaving, I am overcome most, not by relief or excitement or extreme ecstasy, but by jealously. Now more than ever, I want four more years. This team has endless amount of potential and will continue to excel. I wish I could be a part of it."

Jessica

Buffalo Women Honor Seniors in Final Home Competition

It was a day to honor the 10 seniors on the Women's Swimming & Diving team. Prior to the start of their last meet at UB, the coaches, team, family, and friends took several moments to recognize each of the seniors. These young ladies began their time at Buffalo as a class of 10 and will finish their swimming career as a closer, more experienced class of 10. An impressive feat, to say the least!

The meet began with a season-best performance by Jessica Ballard, Brynn Marecki, Jessie Koltz, and Caroline Simmons in the 200 medley relay (1:44.68). The fast swims didn't stop as both teams continued to post impressive performances. Senior Jessica Ballard posted season-best times in the 100 back (57.70) and 200 back (2:05.02), winning the 200 by 5 one-hundredths of a second. Caroline Simmons won the 50 free (23.64), the 100 free (51.60), and was a member of the winning 200 free relay. Jessie Koltz placed 2nd in the 50 free behind Simmons and won the 100 fly (57.10), while swimming on both winning relays.

Seniors Meili Carpenter and Ursula Jeske went 1-2 on both boards. Meili broke her school record on 3-meter (347.48) for the 3rd time this season. She also earned a score of 324.59 on 1-meter. Ursula posted scores of 210.37 on 3-meter and 195.37 on 1-meter.

Congratulations to our seniors (pictured from left to right): Emily Day, Sam Eckert, Jessica Ballard, Ursula Jeske, Laura Powalski, Caitlin Reilly, Sam Palma, Kim Dale, Meili Carpenter, and Ashley Schaffert.

Men Finish Dual Meet Season at Penn State

The UB Men's team finished the dual meet season on Friday against Penn State. This meet marked the first time in recent history that the Bulls have competed against a Big Ten team in a dual meet.

The Nittany Lions presented a great challenge as the team headed into the final weeks of preparation for the MAC Championships. Jared Heine posted a season-best time in the 50 free (21.47), taking 2nd place. Senior Zach Ruske took second in the 200 IM (1:55.43), while freshman Matt Schwippert had a season-best in the 200 back with a time of 1:50.82.

Divers Colin Patrican and Kenny Rhoades stepped up during the diving events, claiming a 1-2 finish on both boards. Colin placed 1st on 1-meter with a score of 286.20, while Kenny won the 3-meter competition with a season-best score of 346.45.