The Northern Michigan University swimming and diving team left Oshkosh, Wisc. with a win on Jan. 26, after beating the Titans of UW-Oshkosh 118-112. NMU now has a two-meet winning streak.
Seniors Sarah Dobratz and Mimi Marschall came up big for Northern, contributing a combined 44 points. Dobratz won the 200-yard free (2:04.22), and the 500-yard free (5:28.74). Dobratz also finished second with sophomore Lindsay VanderBroeck, junior Courtney Lowry, and freshman Kate Willems in the 200-yard medley relay. Marschall took the top spot in the 100 fly (1:02.48) and again in the 200 IM (2:14.17). Marschall joined junior Emily Olsen, and sophomores Brenda Zickus and Sarah Van Oss to place second in the 200 freestyle relay (1:45.59).
“Personally, I feel I am where I should be at this point of the season,” said Dobratz. “I did not do season best times but I am also swimming tired. I am excited for conference and am ready to go my season best times.”
Sophomore Sarah Cempel added to the win total for NMU in the 1000 free (11:34.63). Sophomore Nicole Kaszuba followed in second with her lifetime best time of 11:35.67.
The twin combination of Kelli and Kara Vander Baan finished first and second in both diving events, with Kelli winning the 1-meter dive (218.6 points) and Kara taking the 3-meter (231.6). This is the third time that the Northern divers have swept diving events this season. All three instances resulted in victories for the Wildcats.
The divers were not the only competitors that swept an event for Northern. Marschall, Van Oss, and Lowry defeated all of their competitors in the 200 IM by over three seconds. The Wildcats failed to sweep the 100 fly and the 500 free, but were still able to take three of the top four spots in each of the events.
The meet in Oshkosh was also a reunion between the swimmers and their former coach, Jon Wilson. Wilson led the NMU squad for four years before resigning last summer.
“A couple of us went over to him and talked to him,” said Van Oss. “The meet was not as competitive as most other meets. We still treated it as a real meet, because they are so good, but it was a lot of fun just because it felt like we were swimming against old friends.”
Northern will finish the regular season with a dual meet against Grand Valley in Allendale, Michigan on February 2. The ‘Cats will then have a week off before the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships at the University of Indianapolis on February 13-16.
