MAC Women’s Swimmer of the Week
Laurin Williams, Ohio
Sophomore, Shoreline, Wash.
Laurin had a very strong week for the Bobcats, helping her team to a 2-0 record with dual-meet wins over Youngstown State and Marshall. The sophomore won four events during the week, pacing the Green and White in middle and long-distance events. Williams took first in the 200 IM by nearly three seconds on Sunday, swimming a brisk 2:12.55. She followed this up with a first-place finish as a member of the 800 freestyle relay team, as her squad touched in 7:49.85. Williams carried her strong performances over into Tuesday’s dual meet against Marshall, beginning the meet with a first-place result in the 1650 freestyle. She swam a 16:54.28—one of the top times in the MAC this season—to beat her nearest competition by more than 20 seconds. Williams then took first place in the 500 freestyle by finishing in a brisk 4:58.92.
MAC Men’s Swimmer of the Week
Chris Krupa, Ball State
Senior, Indianapolis, Ind. (Pike)
Senior Chris Krupa (Indianapolis, Ind./Pike) led the Ball State men's swimming & diving team to a 181-87 victory versus the Eastern Illinois Redbirds Friday afternoon at Lewellen Aquatic Center, as the Cardinals posted wins in all 16 events. Ball State tallied its first victory in the 200 medley relay, as Krupa joined Michael Weber, Gavin McNeeley and Casey Schroeder to clock in at 1:34.54. He then returned to post wins in the 200 fly (1:52.29), 100 fly (50.34) and 200 IM (1:58.38).
Other Nominees:
Brittney Kuras, Buffalo
Sophomore, Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy
In the meet at Binghamton, won by Buffalo, 155-85, Brittney Kuras took a pair of races. Kuras won the 200-yard individual medley in 2:07.16 and then followed with a victory in the 500-yard freestyle in 5:01.59. It was the first time this season that Kuras had competed in the 500-yard race. Against Niagara on Friday, Kuras finished second behind teammate Marrisa Murphy in the 100 backstroke (1:01.39) in her first time entered in the event this season and was part of UB's top entry in the 200-yard free relay that finished in 1:41.53 as the Bulls exhibitioned the final race of the meet as they defeated the Purple Eagles, 126-93.
Briana Emig, Eastern Michigan
Junior, Sewickley, Pa.
Emig clinched a pair of first place finishes in the Eagles’ win over Xavier this past Friday, Jan. 13. She won both the 1,000 and 500 Freestyle events with times of 10:18.58 and 5:08.29 in each respective event. Emig was also the top performer for the Eagles in their double dual-meet with host Cincinnati and the No. 19 ranked Cardinals from Louisville on Saturday, Jan. 14. The junior was the first EMU swimmer to complete the 1,650 Freestyle in second place with her time of 16:58.82, the fifth fastest time for that particular event in program history. Emig would also finish runner up in the 500 Free, completing the distance in 4:58.91. Her time in the 500 is the ninth-best in EMU record books.
Kelsea Cross, Akron
Junior, Columbus, Ind./Columbus North
Kelsea was a double winner in Akron's dual meet win at Marshall on Saturday, taking both backstroke events and also leading off the winning 200-yard medley relay. With the two wins, Cross has won four straight backstroke swims dating back to Akron's meet against Oakland on Jan. 7.
Emily Wisolek, Ball State
Sophomore, Middlebury, Ind. (Northridge)
Sophomore Emily Wisolek (Middlebury, Ind./Northridge) tallied four individual wins and combined on a Ball State relay victory, as the Cardinals remain undefeated on the season after tallying wins versus Eastern Illinois, 203-74, Friday and Illinois State, 194.5-105.5, Saturday. Versus the Panthers, Wisolek added first-place finishes in the 200 back (2:08.38) and 100 fly (59.02), before posting victories versus the Redbirds in the 200 free (1:52.88) and 500 free (5:06.79), in addition to swimming the anchor for the first-place 400 freestyle relay, which clocked in at 3:36.34.
Bekka Westrick, Miami
Junior, Fairfield, Ohio/Fairfield
Miami’s Bekka Westrick won two individual events and was a key member of two winning relay units, as Miami defeated arch-rival Cincinnati, 184-111. In the initial race of the meet against UC, Westrick’s 200 medley relay unit teamed for a one-second win (1:45.99). The junior sprint ace defeated teammate Maddie Kete in the 50 freestyle, touching the wall in a time of 23.67, and also captured the 100 free (51.98). In the final race of the meet, Westrick’s 200 freestyle relay quartet touched the wall first in a time of 1:36.08.
Colin McAllister, Buffalo
Freshman, Iowa City, IA/Iowa City
In UB's 124-100 win over Niagara, freshman Colin McAllister won the 100-yard freestyle in 50.95 as he swam the event for the first time this season and finished second behind teammate Matt Schwippert in the 200-yard freestyle in 1:49.61. Against Binghamton the following day in a 130-110 win for the Bulls, McAllister swept both distance freestyle races, his regular events, as he sliced more than a second off his 1,000-yard freestyle time to win the race in 9:46.17. He later won the 500-yard freestyle in 4:47.85.
Alex Seward, Evansville
Junior, San Antonio, Texas / Winston Churchill
Junior Alex Seward led UE to a 184-89 win against Lindsay Wilson Saturday, finishing the Aces’ last home meet with four Top-3 finishes, including a pair of first place times in the 100-backstroke and the 200-IM. Seward started the meet swimming the first leg of UE’s second place medley relay team, posting a 25.19 split and ending with a final time of 1:39.47. The junior then claimed a first place finish in the 100-back, touching in at 53.50, just .64 seconds shy of a season best. He also notched a third place finish in the 50-free before capping of the meet by winning the 200-IM with a time of 2:02.33.
Jacob Hanson, Eastern Michigan
Junior, Normal, Ill.
Hanson nabbed three first place finishes this weekend in the Eagles two-day stay in Cincinnati. Against Xavier on Friday, Jan. 13, the junior raced to first place finishes in both the 200 Individual Medley (1:53.73) and the 100 Backstroke (50.99). On Saturday, Jan. 14, Hanson was the lone Eagle to record a first-place finish in their dual-meet against Cincinnati and No. 11 ranked Louisville. He recorded the seventh-best time in program history in the 100 Backstroke, touching the wall at 50.12. He also swam runner-up in the 200 Backstroke where he completed the event in 1:49.28—good for sixth best in EMU men’s swimming and diving history.
Jim Beres, Miami
Senior, Columbus, Ohio/Whetstone
Jim Beres once again captured top honors in both the one- and three-meter diving events as he led Miami to a defeat of arch-rival Cincinnati Friday night at the Nixon Aquatic Center, 181-118. The senior’s score of 378.08 on the one-meter board far exceeded the point total of teammate and runner-up Mike Grainger. Likewise, Beres’ three-meter score of 395.85 was nearly 60 points better than teammate and second-place finisher Chris Hoppler. The two-time defending Mid-American Conference Diver of the Year will attempt to duplicate that honor for a third time in his home pool on March 1-3 when Miami hosts the 60th Annual MAC Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships. Beres and the RedHawks are next in action this Friday, Jan. 20 at Cleveland State.
Colin Hill, Missouri State University
Sophomore, Liberty, Mo. (Liberty High School)
Saturday marked Missouri State’s first dual meet of the second semester and the Bears won handily, defeating the Truman State Bulldogs on the road, 136-57. Missouri State swept the meet, claiming the top two places in each event except for the 1000 free. In Kirksville, Mo., Colin Hill went a perfect 2-for-2 in his individual events, notching wins in the 200 IM and 200 breast. He won the 200 IM by more than two seconds (1:56.90). In the 200 breast, the sophomore dominated the field, as his closest competitor was more than four seconds behind. Following the first half of the season, Hills holds the fifth fastest time in the MAC in the 200 breast.