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Five Bulls Named to All-MAC Swim Team

BUFFALO, NY – Five University at Buffalo athletes have been selected to the 2008 All-Mid-American Conference men's swimming and diving teams, the league announced from its headquarters in Cleveland this morning. The awards were based on their individual performances at this past weekend's MAC/Sun Belt Championships in Nashville.

Junior Zach Ruske (Superior, CO/Monarch) and sophomore Connor Vander Zalm (Kelowna, British Columbia/Kelowna) were selected to the first team. Sophomores Michael McDowell (Rush, NY/Rush Henrietta), Scott Woster (North Pole, AK/North Pole) and Andrew Tamchyna (Newmarket, Ontario/Newmarket) were named to the second team.

Zach Ruske

Ruske won three individual events for the Bulls at the meet, setting a pair of records in the process and in two events, earning the MAC title before competing in the championship race. Ruske set the school record in the 200-yard individual medley in 1:52.43, surpassing Kevin Remaly's 1995 mark of 1:52.57. He claimed his second MAC title of the meet before even hitting the water as he was the lone league racer in the championship heat of the 100-yard backstroke and finished eighth overall in the final in 51.62 after qualifying fifth overall in a lifetime-best 50.78 as no other MAC swimmer qualified higher than 10th in the event. He also posted a record-setting finish in the 200-yard backstroke as for the second time, he earned the MAC title before even competing in the championship race as the lone MAC racer to reach the championship final, turning in a then-lifetime-best swim of 1:48.95 in the preliminaries, the third-fastest among all entrants. In the championship race, Ruske placed third and set a UB school record in finishing in 1:48.50 breaking Jason McLaughlin’s record from 2001 by two-tenths of a second.

Connor Vander Zalm

Vander Zalm finished third in the 1,650-yard freestyle and the 400-yard individual medley and fifth in the 500-yard freestyle, among MAC swimmers, posting lifetime-best times in all three races. His 15:55.41 clocking in the 1,650-yard freestyle sliced nearly 20 seconds off his previous best and was nearly 45 seconds better than his finish in the event at last season's MAC Championships in Buffalo.

Michael McDowell

McDowell finished second to three-time MAC Diver of the Year Chris Heaton of Miami in both the one- and three-meter competitions. In the one-meter event, McDowell tallied 284.10 points for his six dives in the championship round. On Friday, McDowell turned in a total of 307.15 points for his six championship dives. McDowell will represent UB at the NCAA Zone A Diving Championships to be held at the Alumni Arena Natatorium March 14-16.

Scott Woster

Woster set a UB school record in the 200-yard butterfly to highlight his performance at the meet. Woster broke Mark Sy’s 2003 record (1:52.39) in the preliminary heats and lowered the record with his 1:50.81 clocking in the finals, finishing third among MAC swimmers. He also placed fourth among MAC swimmers in the 100-yard butterfly setting a lifetime-best 50.29 in the preliminaries.

Andrew Tamchyna

Tamchyna finished third among MAC entrants in both backstroke races. He set lifetime-bests in both the 100-yard backstroke (51.45) and 200-yard backstroke (1:51.57). He also placed 14th in the 200-yard individual medley in another lifetime-best (1:58.04) and helped the Bulls to season-best times in three relays.

A complete list of All-MAC honorees and the league's specialty awards is listed below.

First Team All-MAC: Buffalo: Zach Ruske, Connor Vander Zalm. Eastern Michigan: Derrick Roe, Donald Ellison, Ryan Fulkerson, Dan Kish, Adam Wohl, Steve Bowling, Andrzej Olesinski, Owen Grey. Miami: Scott DuCharme, Michael Carroll, Darin Smith, Paul Ricard, Chris Heaton, Ryan McHugh.

Second Team All-MAC: Ball State: Caleb Bye. Buffalo: Mike McDowell, Scott Woster, Andrew Tamchyna. Eastern Michigan: Mike Rowland, Matt Guinan, Stephen D’Arrigo, Ethan Crabtree, Mark Kurtzer, Tyler Groskopf, Scott Murphy, Mitch Kellerman. Miami: Jason Hass, Austin Kosier, Nick DuPuis, Blake Norman, Dave Brown.

Coach of the Year: Peter Linn (Eastern Michigan). Diving Coach of the Year: Buck Smith (Eastern Michigan). Most Outstanding Swimmer: Derrick Roe (Eastern Michigan). Most Outstanding Diver: Chris Heaton (Miami). Most Outstanding Senior Swimmer: Paul Ricard (Miami).