Jan. 25, 2006

Eastern Michigan/Ohio Swimming Notes in PDF Format
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Coming off a non-conference dual meet loss at Wright State, the Miami University men's swimming and diving team (3-2; 2-0 MAC) looks to bounce back and remain undefeated in the Mid-American Conference when it hosts Eastern Michigan and Ohio this weekend at the Nixon Aquatic Center. Miami is 2-0 in conference dual meets, but a stiff test awaits Friday when it faces six-time defending conference champion Eastern Michigan. The RedHawks then square off with the Bobcats Saturday in its final conference dual meet prior to the MAC Championships.

CAN THE STREAK BE BROKEN?: When Miami and Eastern Michigan hit the pool Friday, the RedHawks will attempt to snap the Eagles' streak of 41 consecutive MAC dual meet victories. Eastern Michigan's conference dual meet winning streak began in the 1998-99 season, and its last loss came against Toledo, 130-113, in the final MAC dual meet of the 1997-98 season. Miami is the only school other than EMU to win a conference title in the past nine seasons, finishing first at the MAC Championships in both 1997 and 1999, but it has finished as the runner-up to the Eagles in each of the past two seasons. Eastern Michigan has historically been a conference powerhouse, winning 25 overall MAC titles. Miami is second in MAC history with nine conference crowns.

LOOKING FOR THREE: With only two dual meets remaining prior to the MAC Championships, Miami must win one of its final two meets in order to finish above .500 for the third consecutive year. Since the 1999-00 season, head coach Pete Lindsay has guided the RedHawks to five seasons above .500, with its only non-winning season coming after a 4-8 finish in 2002-03. Now in his 21st season at the helm of the Miami men's program, Lindsay has compiled 13 seasons of .500 or better.

RICARD CONTINUES WINNING WAYS: Junior Paul Ricard continued his winning ways in Miami's loss to Wright State (Jan. 20) as he swept the distance freestyle events for the second consecutive meet and increased his team-leading individual win total to 11. Ricard was one of two RedHawks to win multiple events in the meet, taking first in both the 500 free (4:36.94) and 1000 free (9:30.70). The Wright State meet marked his third sweep of the distance freestlye events this season.

TOP OF THE MAC: On the latest best list for the Mid-American Conference, Miami owns four of the top times/scores in the conference. Junior Paul Ricard owns two top times in the 500 free (4:30.93 - Dec. 2, Miami Invitational) and the 1000 free (9:20.44 - Oct. 28, Cleveland State), while a pair of RedHawks divers own the top scores on the one-and three-meter boards. Senior Zach Niehaus has the top three-meter dive score with 327.30 points, set at Miami's quadrangular meet (Jan. 13), while freshman Chris Heaton tallied the top one-meter dive score of 327.30 against Wright State (Jan. 20). Miami also has an athlete whose time ranks among the top three in the conference in the 1,650 free, 100 breast, 200 breast, 100 fly and 200 fly.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION: In the latest Division I Mid-Major Poll released by collegeswimming.com, Miami is ranked No. 12. Harvard owns the No. 1 ranking, while the defending MAC Champion Eastern Michigan Eagles are the only other MAC school ranked among the top 25. EMU is ranked No. 7 in the poll. The rankings, which feature14 mid-major conferences and independent schools, are based on each team's best dual-meet lineup as judged and submitted by participating teams.

LAST TIME OUT - AT WRIGHT STATE: In a meet featuring two teams ranked in the top 25 in the Division I Mid-Major Swimming and Diving poll, the No. 12 Miami RedHawks posted individual wins in five events but fell, 124.5-112.5, to the No. 21 Wright State Raiders. It was Miami's first dual meet loss since a Nov. 4 setback to the Ohio State Buckeyes. Junior Paul Ricard and freshman Chris Heaton both tallied a pair of individual wins for the RedHawks, but Miami never led in the meet, getting as close as two points before the Raiders closed with consecutive wins in the meet's final two events.

BESTING A LEGEND: On Dec. 1, junior Paul Ricard broke an 18-year-old school record in the 1,650 free owned by Miami Hall of Famer Dick Clarke, clocking in with a first-place time of 15:20.03. Ricard's time bested Clarke's old record of 15:29.75 which was set in 1987. As Miami's top distance freestyle swimmer and a two-time MAC Swimmer of the Week honoree, Ricard's time was Miami's first "B" cut of the season for either the men's or women's teams.

FOR ALL YOUR HARDWARE NEEDS: Two Miami men's athletes have been named the Mid-American Conference Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Week this season, with senior diver Zach Niehaus and junior swimmer Paul Ricard combining to win the first three weekly conference awards. Niehaus won the award on Nov. 15 after he swept the boards in Miami's 145-96 win against Ball State (Nov. 12), and Ricard was named the conference's swimmer of the week for the first two weeks of the season (Nov. 1 and Nov. 8).

TWICE THE FUN: Junior Paul Ricard, senior Zach Niehaus and freshman Chris Heaton are the only three Miami athletes this season to post multiple wins at a meet. Ricard has accomplished the feat four times, and with 11 individual victories this season, Ricard owns the most wins of any athlete on the team. Niehaus, who swept the boards against Ball State (Nov. 12), has a total of four wins on the season, while Heaton, who swept the boards against Wright State (Jan. 20) also owns four individual wins.

SPREADING THE WEALTH: Ten different Miami athletes have tallied top finishes this season, led by two-time MAC Swimmer of the Week Paul Ricard. Ricard has won 11 events this season, and he is one of six RedHawks to win more than one event. Zach Niehaus and Chris Heaton have each tallied four wins, while Theo Kuczek and Scott Robson have each posted three individual wins this season. Griffin Marshall, Blake Norman and Andrew O'Neill have each posted two wins, while two other athletes --- Zachary Siegel, and Scott DuCharme --- have each won one event.

REDHAWK ROOKIES: Competing in their first season in the Red and White, a trio of freshmen, Scott DuCharme, Chris Heaton and Zachary Siegel, have notched individual wins this season for Miami. Heaton is the only RedHawk freshman to earn more than one individual win, and he is the only rookie to win multiple events at a meet, sweeping the boards against Wright State (Jan. 20). Heaton also posted diving wins against Buffalo (Oct. 29; three-meter dive) and in Miami's quadrangular meet (Jan. 13; one-meter dive). DuCharme tallied his first college win against Ball State (Nov. 12) when he was the top finisher in the 500 free, while Siegel's first win came against Buffalo in the 50 free (22.29).

AND THE WINNER IS: The following is a complete list of the Miami athletes who have posted individual wins in the 2005-06 season:

Scott DuCharme - (1) Ball State (500 free)

Chris Heaton - (4) Buffalo (3-meter dive), UC/KC/UL Quadrangular (1-meter dive), Wright State (1-, 3-meter dive)

Theo Kuczek - (3) Cleveland State (50 free), Buffalo (200 breast), Ball State (50 free)

Griffin Marshall - (2) Cleveland State (200 breast), Ohio State (100 breast)

Zach Niehaus - (4) Buffalo (1-meter dive), Ball State (1-, 3-meter dive), UC/KC/UL Quadrangular (3-meter dive)

Blake Norman - (2) Cleveland State (200 IM), Ball State (200 breast)

Andrew O'Neill - (2) Buffalo (200 back), Wright State (200 back)

Paul Ricard -(11) Cleveland State (500 free, 1000 free), Buffalo (500 free), Ohio State (500 free), Ball State (200 free, 200 fly), Miami Invite (1,650 free), UC/KC/UL Quadrangular (500 free, 1,000 free), Wright State (500 free, 1,000 free)

Scott Robson - (3) Cleveland State (200 fly), Buffalo (200 fly), Ball State (1,000 free)

Zachary Siegel - (1) Buffalo (50 free)