Marshall Beats Duquesne in Two Day S&D Meet

Courtesy+of+HerdZone

Courtesy of HerdZone

Lydia Montague, Student Reporter

Marshall Swim bounced back after losing to Ohio University last weekend with a deciding victory in a dual meet against Duquesne University Jan. 20 and 21.

The team put up an impressive 300.5 points to the Dukes’ 223.5, dominating in 19 events and adding a few record-breaking performances, including Eszter Laban’s 1000 Freestyle, and a 400 Medley Relay by Klava Katayama, Mia McBride, Madeline Hart and Paige Banton.

Laban finished with a time of 10:01.56, and the four swimmers in the 400 Medley finished with a 3:44.85.

The team was also able to honor their seniors as they hosted Duquesne in their last home meet of the season.

“It was definitely an emotional weekend knowing how special this senior group is, but we really attempted to rally in order to make a memorable time and competition for our seniors’ last meet at the Fitch,” sophomore Gabby Ivey said.

One senior in particular, Or Tamir, finished her last home meet with a NIC “A” Standard time in her 100 Yard Individual Medley. She clocked in a 57.84, closely competing with her teammate Banton, who finished with a 57.36.

“Our team really rallied around our last home stand with our seniors at the Fitch and put together a fantastic showing. Top to bottom, we had some really well-executed performances,” Herd swim head coach Ian Walsh said.

The Herd hopes to continue this success in their next major competition: the Missouri Valley Championships.

“Going into the conference meet, we begin our ‘taper,’ which is almost like our rest period, so we go into the meet feeling fresh. Each of us will definitely be practicing little touch-ups that we have seen and reflected on from previous meets’ films,” Ivey said.

Finishing at home for the season, The Herd will next see action at the MVC’s which will be held in Iowa City, Iowa, Feb. 15 – 18.