Buckeyes Ready for Big Tens – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/14/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swim & Dive
Feb. 14, 2012
Ohio State Notes | Big Ten Notes
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When Ohio State head coach Bill Dorenkott took over the women’s swimming program prior to the start of the 2008-09 season, he set a goal to build a well-rounded program filled with fast swimmers and outstanding student-athletes.
Since that inaugural season, Dorenkott’s teams have made steady improvements in the pool. From a fifth-place finish at the 2010 Big Ten championships to a third-place finish just last season, the Ohio State women have developed into one of the key contenders in the race for the Big Ten title.
“Every year we’ve gotten a little bit better,” Dorenkott said. “You can measure that in a lot of different ways, whether it’s in points, places or times. We fully expected to continue that progress this year; we’ve had a terrific year leading into the Big Tens.”
This week the Buckeye women will once again have the opportunity to showcase their progress when the group travels to Iowa for the Big Ten Championships. Undefeated with a 10-0 record going into the meet, Ohio State has had an impressive run in the regular season, ranking as high as 13th in national polls.
Despite the team’s success, Dorenkott is looking forward to seeing what the team is really capable of under the pressure of the Big Ten stage.
“We’re just really looking forward to getting them out there and seeing what people are really capable of doing,” Dorenkott said. “We’ve had a great year in terms of our preparation. Now we’re just really excited for the next six weeks, whether that’s the Big Tens or NCAAs.”
While the season’s outcome is yet to be determined, the Buckeye women enter the final stretch motivated to continue the progression displayed in the program’s recent history. Drawing inspiration from the men’s team, who won a Big Ten championship at home in 2010, the women would eventually like claim a title of their own.
“My favorite memory at McCorkle (Aquatic Pavilion) was probably when the guys won Big Tens,” said senior Catherine Eitel. “We were all here, and to see them accomplish that was really inspirational. It was just an overall fun time.”
As the setting of the men’s championship in 2010, McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion has been monumental in the turnaround of the women’s program. From providing a world-class training environment for the swimmers to jump starting Dorenkott’s recruiting efforts, the facility has given the Buckeyes the ultimate home-pool advantage.
“From a coaching perspective, it is such a blessing to be able to come into a world-class facility daily as it speaks to Ohio State’s commitment to excellence,” Dorenkott said of the facility. “Recruiting-wise, word has spread far-and-wide about McCorkle and what a terrific environment it is for training and racing.”
This season, Ohio State, led by junior Emily Creran’s second best time in the 200 backstroke (1:55.39), has posted some of the fastest times in the Big Ten Conference. The Scarlet and Gray have also posted 23 individual NCAA `B’ cut times as well as five for the relays.
“I’m really excited about our relays. I think we’ve had a chance to get a lot of our relays through to the NCAAs,” Dorenkott said. “I’d like to see us get a sizable group through to the NCAAs – the biggest group since I’ve been here.”
The Buckeye women will enter Big Tens, and eventually NCAAs, fueled by a season’s worth of hard work and preparation. With 13 point scorers returning from last year’s run at Big Tens, this weekend has all the makings to be a special one for the Ohio State women’s swimming program.
