Bowling Green State University
Miami
Swimming to face Miami, Ball State on the Road
October 31, 2012 | Women's Swimming & Diving
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University swim team hits the road for the first time this season to take on two Mid-American Conference opponents back-to-back. The Falcons begin the weekend with a dual meet against the Miami RedHawks on Friday at 4 p.m. and turn around to face the Ball State Cardinals on Saturday at 1 p.m.
The contests will be the Falcons' first regular-season test against MAC opponents this year. The team is coming off a pair of wins against Wayne State and Ashland to open its schedule last Friday. This weekend's meets also mark the first time the Falcons will compete outside of Cooper Pool, their home facility.
"For competitive purposes and testing how tough we are, it really can't get much better than this," said head coach Petra Martin. "Both Miami and Ball State are very strong teams and they will be ready to defend their home waters. But if we want to be the best, we need to put our team through some challenging set-ups so that we learn to be ready anytime, anywhere and against anyone."
The Falcons have proven their readiness so far, as a strong senior class has led BGSU to early season success in the pool. The Orange and Brown outpaced MAC rivals Toledo and Akron at the Tom Stubbs Relays, a preseason competition earlier in the month, with the Falcons winning eight of ten relays and setting three meet records. Senior Emily Bennet led the way, contributing to wins in five races and earning her first career MAC Swimmer of the Week honor.
Improved depth played a factor in Bowling Green's tri-meet win over Wayne State and Ashland, as Falcon swimmers accounted for 28 top-three finishes across 14 races, sweeping the top three places in four races. The team added 11 new faces to the roster for the 2012-13 season, including top performers in junior transfer Joëlle Scheps and strong freshman contributors Jordan Bullock, Daniela Carrillo, Tara Capouch and Kayla Effinger.
Both Miami and Ball State also opened their seasons with wins, as the RedHawks beat Evansville at home and Ball State notched its first MAC win by defeating Akron on the road. Last season, the Falcons came up short in duals against both teams, falling to Ball State, 127-167, on Oct. 29 and then to Miami on Jan. 28, 111-178. The Falcons went on to finish behind both teams at the MAC Championships last year. With improved depth and promising early season results, Bowling Green looks to improve its record against conference opponents this year, beginning with this weekend's road meets.
