Two Mid-American Conference opponents went home frustrated Saturday after the women's swimming and diving team swept a double duel meet at Lewellen pool, raising its record to 14-2 (5-1 MAC) on the season. Ball State did it by thrashing Akron 206-87 and knocking off Eastern Michigan 163-137 on Senior Day.
Melissa Keilen led by example in her last home swim with first place finishes in the 50 (24.79) and 100-yard (53.50) freestyle events. Freshman Abby Arnold and senior Sarah King finished second and third behind Keilen in the 50 freestyle. Sophomore Karla Bailey helped put the team ahead by winning the 100 breaststroke (1:07.56) and tallying a second-place finish in the 200 breaststroke behind teammate Michelle Braden.
Junior Dee Dee Wolverton had one of her best performances with a time of 1:55.67 en route to a victory in the 200-yard freestyle event.
"It was really exciting. We didn't expect to beat Eastern Michigan," head coach Laura Seibold-Caudill said. "We swam really well. They get better and better each meet."
Seibold-Caudill attributed the Cardinals' success to an outstanding team effort and unequaled motivation on behalf of her swimmers. She said the team's chemistry has been better this season than in past years.
"This is a close-knit group," she said. "We just came out on fire and we never stopped. We were real focused."
Good performances by Wolverton, Sarah Cashdollar and Emily Aubie significantly helped on Saturday, Seibold-Caudill said.
The team will start using a technique called "tapering" this week to begin preparations for the MAC Championships that take place on Feb. 27. When tapering, athletes train hard and progressively rest so they can adapt and feel rested when competing in longer endurance-based meets.
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