Ball State came into the Mid-American Conference Championships with a 7-8 overall record, 4-4 conference. All records might as well have been thrown out the window, because at tournament time, every team competes in a free-for-all for conference bragging rights.
"We did better than I expected us to," women's swimming head coach Laura Seibold-Caudill said. "Everyone swam well and several people had season best times. The other schools just had a lot more depth, we finished about where I thought we would."
Ball State finished sixth in the three-day Conference Championships, scoring 279 points overall. Miami (Ohio) won the tournament.
The Redhawks edged out defending champion Ohio 723-688 in controversial fashion, winning the 400-yard freestyle by a disqualification. Ohio won the event but was later disqualified when a swimmer who already finished the event entered the pool before all opposing teams had finished.
Freshman Karla Bailey and sophomores Kait Martin and Emily Aubie placed highest for the Cardinals individually, with fourth-place finishes in their respective events.
Sophomore Emily Aubie stepped up in a big way, finishing fourth in the 400-yard individual medley with a season best time. Aubie also placed fifth in the 200-yard butterfly.
Bailey took fourth place in the 100-yard breaststroke with a season-high 1:05.67, sixth in the 200-yard breaststroke, and seventh in the 200-yard individual medley to close out her year.
Martin placed fourth in the 100-yard backstroke, with a time of 58.40. The sophomore backstroker also took home a fifth-place finish in the 200-yard backstroke.
Ball State did best as a team, finishing fourth in the 400-yard medley, just ahead of Toledo.
Bailey and Aubie were named to the All-MAC Second Team for their achievements at Ypsilanti, Mich. The team ended the season finishing sixth in the tourney, behind Buffalo and ahead of Akron.
"This has been a rebuilding year for our program," Seibold-Caudill said. "Everyone has improved so much. We will have a lot of returners this summer and we are going to be a better team next year."
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