Feb. 25, 2006

Complete Results

AKRON, Ohio - Sophomore Kristen Bezier (Evans City, Pa.) won the conference title in the 200 breaststroke and the RedHawks had five individual conference medalists, but the Miami University women's swimming and diving team missed out on a fifth consecutive Mid-American Conference Swimming and Diving Championship as it finished 11 points behind first-place Eastern Michigan. Bezier completed her sweep of the breaststroke events Saturday at Akron's Ocasek Natatorium, but Eastern Michigan's 637.5 points topped Miami's 626.5 and ended the RedHawks' bid for a 16th overall MAC title.

As Miami's only individual conference champion, Bezier won her second gold medal in as many nights, clocking in with a career-best and pool-record time of 2:19.23 in the 200 breaststroke. Bezier's performance also moved her to fourth all-time on the Miami top-10 list in the event. With her win, Bezier became the first Miami swimmer to win multiple individual MAC titles in a season since Amy Miranda in 2004 and the first since Amanda Furlano in 1998 to sweep the breaststroke events.

Miami opened day three with senior Christin Eberst (Clifton Park ,N.Y.) winning her seventh career conference medal in the three-meter dive. Eberst finished with a third-place score of 309.95, capping a successful senior season in which she was reset the Miami three-meter diving record against Ohio (Jan. 28) and was the only Miami athlete to be named the MAC Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Week (Nov. 8). Freshman Alex Enriquez (Houston, Texas) also joined Eberst in the finals of the three-meter dive, turning in an eighth-place finish (270.30).

Freshman Jenn Flaherty (Scarborough, Maine) added another medal-winning performance in the 1,650 freestyle, clocking in with a second-place and season-best time of 17:04.95. Junior Darcy Meek (Wilton, Conn.) also placed in the event, finishing with a sixth-place and career-best time of 17:22.24.

Four Miami swimmers placed in the finals of the 200 backstroke, with sophomore Lauren Evanosky (Westport, Conn.) and senior Maggi Bulla (Cincinnati, Ohio) both finishing in the "A" final. Evanosky turned in a fifth-place time of 2:05.23, while Bulla clocked in with a sixth-place time of 2:05.42. Also placing in the "B" final were freshmen Malarie Schmidt (Batavia, Ill.) and Tenley Marsteller (Erie, Pa.) who finished ninth (2:03.97) and 16th (2:10.96), respectively.

In the 100 freestyle, junior Margaret Patrick (Marietta, Ga.) was Miami's lone "A" finalist with a bronze-medal performance. She clocked in with a career-best time of 51.49, which ranks fourth all time at Miami. Senior Katie Unger (Hartland, Wis.) also placed in the "B" final with a 12th-place time of 52.51.

Besides Bezier in the 200 breaststroke, two Miami swimmers finished in the "B" final, with junior Ashley Petak (North Potomac, Md.) in 11th place (2:23.89) and Flaherty in 16th place (2:27.31).

Miami's final conference medalist was senior Katie Forster (Centerville, Ohio) in the 200 butterfly. The Miami record-holder in the event, Forster capped her career with a silver-medal performance, clocking in at 2:04.33. Meek also placed in the "A" final with a seventh-place finish (2:07.23), while sophomore Kathryn Stephens (Western Springs, Ill.) added an 11th-place showing (2:07.50) in the "B" final.

The RedHawks closed the meet with a third-place and season-best time of 3:27.78 in the 400 freestyle relay. Miami's bronze-medal winning team consisted of Patrick, Bulla, Unger and freshman Allison Stevens (Laurel, Md.).

Despite finishing as the runner-up at its final conference meet, the class of 2006 leaves Miami with three MAC titles, an undefeated conference dual-meet record and a 48-6 career dual-meet record.