Going into the Mid-American Conference championship, the Ball State University women's swimming and diving team is not looking for a championship or even a second- or third-place finish.
The Cardinals (9-4, 4-3 MAC) are looking for a fourth-place finish, the same result as their regular-season conference finish.
"It's going to be very difficult to crack into the top four," co-coach Bob Thomas said. "Top four is what we're shooting for by far."
The MAC championship is the biggest meet all season, Thomas said, as Ball State has trained all year for the meet. It is especially important because the final conference standings are based solely on the meet, he said.
Ball State has finished fourth four times in the past decade and seven times overall, the most recent time being three years ago. That finish was during the freshman year of seniors Addison Del Rio, Michelle Huang, Valerie McGowan and Stephanie Paul.
Del Rio said the team's spirits are high entering the conference meet as it has a lot of momentum coming off a win against Miami University in the final meet of the season.
"I don't think it's out of reach at all to maintain our top four or even get into the top three," she said.
The Cardinals have never finished better than third at the conference championships in 27 years of competing at the meet. The most recent of the four times they finished third was a decade ago, during the 1997-98 season.
The Cardinals finished seventh last year and sixth the previous year out of eight teams in the conference.
Co-coach Laura Seibold-Caudill said her goal is for the team to just improve from last year's finish and that she would be ecstatic with a fourth-place finish.
"There's no way I want seventh," she said. "We are a better team than that."
The meet begins at 7 p.m. with the championships in the 200-yard medley and 800-yard freestyle relays. Thursday through Saturday there will be about six events each day with preliminary heats at 11 a.m. and finals at 7 p.m.
The top 16 athletes from each preliminary heat make the finals.
Seibold-Caudill said it is important to get athletes into the top eight because those are the high-scoring positions.
Unlike the regular season, Thomas said, the MAC meet is all about the team. Throughout the season, he said, the Cardinals were focused on individuals, but an entire team effort is needed this week.
"It's a total team effort," Thomas said. "No one or two people can get it done."
The best finish for an individual last year was then-senior Mary Brinkoetter in the 400 individual medley. She and classmate Brittany Sayler each finished in the top eight in two individual events, and classmate Michelle Braden finished seventh in one event.
The top returning Cardinal from last season is sophomore Emily Hurst, who finished sixth in the 400 individual medley. Kelly Johnson also returns after finishing seventh in the 100-yard fly as a freshman, and Paul returns after finishing eighth in the 1-meter diving.
Paul said her goal is to finish in the top eight on both boards this year.
"I would be more than ecstatic to get top eight on both boards," she said.
Del Rio, who finished ninth in the 100-yard breaststroke last year, said she is hoping for three finishes in the top eight this year.
"I would love to have a great finish this year and end on a high note," she said. "But most of all I just want the girls to end on a high note."
The University of Toledo enters the meet with a perfect 7-0 record in MAC meets this season. Ohio University's lone loss of the season, in MAC meets and overall, was to Toledo as the Bobcats enter the meet 12-1 overall and 6-1 in the MAC.
The two-time defending champion Eastern Michigan University went 5-2 in MAC competitions this season. Ball State is fourth in the standings, just ahead of host Buffalo and 15-time champion Miami. The University of Akron and Bowling Green State University, which are 1-6 and 0-7, round out the teams at the meet.
While there are lots of teams with depth at the meet that will tough to beat, Del Rio said, Ball State cannot be counted out. Even if the team does not finish at the top of the standings, she said the Cardinals could make history.
"Keep an eye on those records, too, because I think our girls are ready to go," Del Rio said.
MAC ChampionshipsWhat: Women's swimming and diving MAC championshipsWhen: Wednesday-SaturdayWhere: University at BuffaloWho: Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Miami, Ohio, Toledo
Online streaming: ubathletics.buffalo.edu/multimedia
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