The Ball State men's swimming and diving team's seniors put out a good performance Saturday on senior day but fell to conference rival Southern Illinois 146-91.
The Cardinals ran off a string of great finishes in the middle of the meet but a bad start and finish doomed the team from upsetting a team coach Bob Thomas said was a top three team in the Mid-American Conference.
"Southern [Illinois] is much better," Thomas said. "They had a lot of depth throughout the meet. They're just a fast team, not only on paper but in the pool."
Thomas felt the seniors had a successful day in their last home meet of their careers as they now prepare for the MAC Championships.
"I think with being a senior that they're seeing the end and it's coming up quick," Thomas said. "They're not done yet so they want to do the best they can."
Seniors Casey Schroeder, Chris Krupa and Gavin McNeeley were the only Cardinal swimmers to pull out victories in events totaling four out of 13. Schroeder posted two victories in his season-best 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle along with posting a season best split in the 200-yard freestyle relay.
Thomas said Krupa "went out in style" as he posted a victory in the 200-yard individual medley, a season-best time, and a runner-up finish in the 100-yard butterfly. McNeeley's win was in the 100-yard breaststroke.
As the team prepares for the conference championships, Thomas said he isn't focused on the team's regular season record.
"I feel they've had a very successful year regardless of the number of losses we've had," Thomas said. "We've had a lot of individual successes, and I think they're ready to taper and look forward to MAC [Championships]."
Thomas says his team has at least a week more of hard practicing before they begin rest before the conference championships, which will be held March 1 to March 3 in Oxford, Ohio.
Read More
Ball State women’s basketball runs out of gas against Columbia in the Battle 4 Atlantis
By Elijah Poe / 8 hours ago“As hard as we played, we literally were running on fumes,” Ball State women's basketball head coach Brady Sallee said about the 69-62 loss to Columbia in the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Ball State defeats Eastern Kentucky in opening game of Gulf Coast Showcase
By Zach Carter / 13 hours agoBall State defeated Eastern Kentucky 63-61 for the Cardinals' second win of the season.
Ball State tops Texas A&M in second game of Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament
By Logan Connor / Yesterday“It's the reason you come to play in tournaments like this, to play really good basketball teams,” head coach Brady Salle said after his team's Battle 4 Atlantis win
