On Thursday afternoon, the 26 members of Ball State's men's swimming and diving team churned the waters of Lewellen Aquatic Center into white foam.
While it was just another practice for most of the team, some of the Cardinals were preparing for something special. Saturday's 3 p.m. meet at Lewellen Aquatic Center against Toledo and Ohio will mark the final dual meet for the eight Cardinal seniors.
The Mid-American Conference finale is an important contest for the Cardinals (4-7 overall, 2-3 MAC) for several reasons, but for the senior class, it is the culmination of four years of hard work and effort.
"The last home meet always means a lot," head coach Bob Thomas said. "These guys have spent four years here, close to every day, for about nine months each year. If you add all that up, this is the beginning of the end in terms of their college swimming careers."
Following a ceremony to recognize the seniors prior to the meet, sentiment will give way to adrenaline as the Cardinals face a pair of evenly matched conference opponents. Toledo (9-3, 3-2) will face Xavier Friday before traveling to Muncie, and will arrive looking to avenge a 132-111 loss to the Cardinals last season.
"Stud-wise and depth-wise, they're quite a bit better this year than last," Thomas said. "Last year, our guys stepped up and beat them , so it will be in their hands again Saturday. If they come in here very prepared, though, there's no reason they should lose to us."
Ohio (5-4, 3-2) has just beaten Bowling Green with the efforts of MAC Swimmer of the Week, junior Kurt Schoenhals. The Bobcats presently have faster times than the Cardinals in nine of the 13 events that will be contested on Saturday.
"We don't have very much flexibility in our lineup, so we have to find a way to offset their top guys," Thomas said. "Hopefully our team depth can be a factor and our guys can step up and beat them."
Thomas said that performing well and coming away with victories on Saturday could be a big boost for his team. Following Saturday's meet, the Cardinals will have close to a month off before the MAC championships and entering the break from competition on a positive note would help build the team's confidence.
"This season has been full of ups and downs," Thomas said. "I think we're ready to go back up again."
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