UB Men's Swimmers Host MAC Championships

BUFFALO, NY – The Mid-American Conference's five men's swimming and diving programs will converge on the University at Buffalo's Alumni Arena Natatorium as the Mid-American Conference Men's Swimming and Diving Championships get underway on Thursday, February 22.

The three-day meet will feature preliminary heats on Thursday, February 22 through Saturday, February 24 at noon each day. Finals are slated to begin at 7:00 pm each evening. Mid-American Conference individual and relay champions will be crowned in 20 events this weekend.

Squads from Ball State, Eastern Michigan, Miami (OH), Ohio University and Buffalo will compete for the league championship. At last season's championship meet, in Athens, OH, Miami broke Eastern Michigan's string of six consecutive league titles, winning by just 7.5 points. The margin of the victory for the RedHawks was the smallest since Eastern Michigan scored a two-point win over Miami in 1996.

Eastern Michigan and Miami will again be considered the teams to beat in this year's meet. The Eagles finished the MAC regular season with a 4-0 record (8-1 overall) and have not lost a conference dual meet since the 1997-98 season. Eastern Michigan swimmers hold the league's top time in 16 events this season and return two-time MAC Swimmer of the Year Dan Wohl as well as seven other swimmers who earned All-MAC recognition last season. Wohl leads the MAC in the 200-yard butterfly (1:50.16), the 200-yard individual medley (1:52.94) and the 400-yard individual medley (3:56.00) and is second in the league in three other events this season. A senior, Wohl has won both individual medley crowns in each of the last three seasons.

Leading Miami's contingent are last season's Swimmer of the Year, Paul Ricard, and Diver of the Year, Chris Heaton. Ricard won both distance freestyle races (500- and 1650-yards) and placed second in the 200-yard freestyle at last season's meet. Heaton swept both the one- and three-meter diving events at last season's meet as a freshman and currently holds the MAC's top marks on both boards this season. The RedHawks return eight All-MAC performers from last season.

It is with mixed emotions that Ohio competes at the MAC meet as earlier in the year, it was announced that men's swimming and diving program would be discontinued at the conclusion of the season after more than 70 years as an intercollegiate sport. The Bobcats return last season's 100-yard backstroke champion Stephen D'Arrigo as well as another All-MAC selection in Luke Herlehy, a specialist in the medley and butterfly races. D'Arrigo currently leads the MAC in the 100-yard backstroke (52.10) while Herlehy is second in the 200-yard butterfly (1:52.00).

Ball State was fourth at last season's championship meet. The Cardinals return All-MAC first-teamer Adam Konopka, last season's runner-up in the 200-yard individual medley and 200-yard backstroke.

UB, taking the men's hosting duties for the second time as a league member, finished fifth at last season's meet but is looking for a better finish swimming in its home waters. The Bulls packed this year's lineup with a strong freshman class that has impressed. Andrew Tamchyna (Newmarket, Ontario/Newmarket) is second in the league in both backstroke events, posting top times of 52.13 at 100-yards and 1:52.67 at 200-yards. His 100-yard time is just three-hundredths of a second behind Ohio's D'Arrigo. Diver Michael McDowell (Rush, NY/Rush-Henrietta) set the UB record on the one-meter board (323.77) earlier this season and is second to Miami's Heaton in both events this year.

Tickets are $6.00 per session for adults with an all-session pass available for $25.00. Student tickets are available for $3.00 per session or $15.00 for the all-session pass.

A live streaming webcast will be available on UB's website, www.ubathletics.buffalo.edu/mutlimedia. Podcasts of individual races will also be available. Results will also be posted on UB's website following each session.