Women’s swimming continues its slow start while the men’s team catches fire – The Cauldron

By Leo Kenealy

The season for the Cleveland State University women’s swimming and diving team has been off to a slow start. It is impossible to claim otherwise, seeing as they have dropped 12 of their 14 first meets against rival schools, and finished 6th, 6th, and 7th in larger meets.

The Vikings have especially struggled against their Horizon League opponents, going 0-2 with losses to both Youngstown State and Oakland. The Vikings followed this up with losses against both Bowling Green and Ohio on Jan. 29.

The loss to Youngstown was particularly frustrating, as CSU lost only 161-127. Things have not improved as the season has continued, as they have dropped five of their last six meets by over 100 points. The women’s team looks to turn their season around in Columbus, as they attend the Ohio State Winter Invitational over the weekend.

Amid this tough season, the swimmers still find reasons to celebrate with senior night, as seniors Agnes Bahr and Emily Deitz are in their last season.

A member of the women’s swimming team races down the pool. Photo courtesy of Vikings Athletics

Despite the turbulence of the season, coach Hannah Burandt remains optimistic, saying: “Our women’s team culture shined on the road today. The opportunity presented by OU and BG put our ladies to the test and they aced it with their energy, confidence, and connection with one another. Taper time is officially here and I cant wait to see everything come together at the Horizon League Championships.”

The men’s swimming and diving team has had a very interesting season, to say the least. After losing their first five dual meets, the men caught fire, winning three of their next four, including a 210-88 shellacking of the Youngstown State Penguins. This first win against YSU was impressive, as the YSU squad followed up their immolation with three big wins against Valparaiso, Green Bay, and Niagara.

A member of the men’s swimming team competes in a meet. Photo courtesy of Vikings Athletics

The positive momentum carried over to the Magnus Cup, with the Vikings obliterating the competition, finishing first out of five teams, with second-place Xavier trailing the Vikes by over 220 points. The cherry on top was meet records set by seniors Griffin Manning and Timothy Kubacki. Manning swam the 50-meter breaststroke in a blistering 24.86, and Kubacki swam the individual medley in 1:46.56. The men aim to shake off recent losses to Indianapolis, Oakland, and Ohio State as they look to mount a challenge for the Horizon League title.