Buckeyes Travel To Ball State, Indiana – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/8/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swim & Dive
Jan. 8, 2002
COLUMBUS, Ohio–The Ohio State men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams retrurn to action this weekend when they travel to Ball State on Friday and Indiana on Saturday. The men are 5-0 on the season while the women are 2-5.
Georgia Invitational Recap
Three Buckeyes finished in the top five of the Georgia Diving Invitational last weekend in Athens, Ga.
Heath Knowling had a very good performance for the men. He finished second in the one-meter dive with a score of 307.20 and seventh in the three-meter dive with a score of 473.40. Mitch Richeson finished fifth in the three-meter dive with a score of 485.70 and placed sixth in the one-meter (280.30).
Men’s Cleveland State Recap
The Ohio State men’s swimming and diving team improved its record to 5-0 on Nov. 20, defeating the Vikings of Cleveland State 135-92. The Buckeyes won 10 of 11 swimming events and swept both diving events en route to the victory.
Rob Tiernan was a double-winner for the Buckeyes, winning both the 1,000 freestyle (9:31.46) and the 500 freestyle (4:39.93). Other top-performers for the Buckeyes were Travis Carver, who won the 100 freestyle (:45.87) and Andreas Campioni, who took first in the 100 backstroke (:53.47). Heath Knowling won both the one meter dive (306.60) and the three-meter event (351.98).
Always On Top
Through two dual meets, the men’s swimmers have had the top finisher in 33 of 35 events. In the season opener at Ohio the Buckeyes swept all 13 events. Against West Virginia and Cleveland State, OSU had the top time in 10 of the 11 events. The only events the Buckeyes have failed to win are the 200 Butterfly and Backstroke against Maryland/Virginia Tech.
Scouting Ball State/Indiana
The Cardinals are led by head coach Bob Thomas, who is the winningest coach in the 54-year history of Ball State men’s swimming and diving. He is in his 22nd year as the Cardinal’s head coach and has a dual meet record of 131-95.
In 1999, Thomas was selected as the Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year for helping BSU improve its record to 7-5, four victories better than the Cardinals total of three in 1998.
The Cardinals, 2-4, are led by senior and team captain Nick Badgett. Badgett set school records in both backstroke events at last year’s MAC Championships. Freestyle twins Marc and Matt Smith combined for 29 top-three finishes and eight relay victories. They are once again leading the way for the Cardinals in 2002.
The Hoosier men are 1-1 on the season and recently placed second at the U.S. Swimming Open on Dec. 1 in East Meadow, N.Y.
The Hoosiers are led by head coach Kris Kirchner, who is in his 12th season at Indiana. The 1991 Big Ten Coach of the Year has led the Hoosiers to nine top five finishes at the Big Ten Championship and five top 20 finishes at the NCAA Championship in his 11 seasons. Kirchner has produced five Big Ten individual champions, three relay titles, as well as 19 All-Big Ten team selections.
Men’s Head Coach Bill Wadley
During the 12-year tenure of head coach Bill Wadley, the Ohio State men’s swimming team has been a staple in the national rankings. In all but one of those seasons, the Buckeyes have cracked the Top 25. Wadley fully expects OSU once again will make a splash in the national ranking and in the Big Ten.
Coach Wadley on Ball State/Indiana
“Ball State has a terrific team with plenty of depth in most events,” Wadley said. “It is our hope to continue to improve each meet as the season progresses culminating with some really fast swims at the Big Ten Championships. Each Dual meet provides us an opportunity to check our progress and practice racing moving toword our goals.
“This years Indiana team has plenty of depth and talent. We expect the meet to be very competitive as have all the Indiana meets.
Diving Head Coach Vince Panzano
Now in his 24th year as head diving coach at Ohio State, Vince Panzano’s record speaks for itself. He has produced one world champion, one junior world champion, two Olympic medalists, 22 U.S. diving champions, eight NCAA champions, 14 NCAA runners-up, 66 Big Ten champions and 76 All-Americans. Panzano also has been selected NCAA Diving Coach of the Year three times in 1986, 1987 and 1988, and Big Ten Diving Coach of the Year six times.
A Look at the Buckeye Men
Seniors Travis Carver (freestyle), Nick Cheney (freestyle), Ivan Petrovic (backstoke), Dan Vitina (backstroke/freestyle), along with juniors Nick Rees (butterfly), Vladi Dusil (freestyle) and David Paul (freestyle/butterfly), will be counted on to step up their own performances and to guide the newcomers.
“Nick Rees’ experience in the NCAA championships and the Olympics will be a tremendous help to achieve our team and individual goals,” Wadley said. “He is capable of winning a Big Ten title and being an All-American if he continues to dedicate himself.”
A pair of transfers from Nebraska, Carlos Oliva and Andreas Campioni, also will be counted to lead by example.
Next Up for the Men
The Buckeyes will next travel to East Lansing, Mich. for a date with the Spartans of Michigan State on Saturday, Jan. 19 at 11 a.m.
