MAC Championships: Nogaj Sets Meet Record, Zips Lead After Three Days

Friday, February 25

Bowling Green, Ohio

10:30 am, 6:30 pm

University of Akron

Mid-American Conference

MAC Championships: Nogaj Sets Meet Record, Zips Lead After Three Days

February 26 | Women's Swimming & Diving

MAC Championships: 400 IM and Nogaj Sets Meet Records, Zips Lead After Three Days
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BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – After three days of competition at the 2022 Mid-American Conference Swimming and Diving Championships, the Akron Zips received high-level performances and positioned themselves to claim their eighth team title in nine years with a 173-point advantage entering the finals at BGSU's Cooper Pool on Friday.

Akron ended day three with a bang as the 400-yard medley relay team of sophomore Madelyn Gatrall (Windsor, Ontario, Canada), senior Paula Garcia (Madrid, Spain), senior Paulina Nogaj (Radom, Poland) and junior Sarah Watson (Winnipeg, Manitoba) smashed the MAC, the meet and the pool record with a 3:31.67 overwriting the 3:33.43 records set in 2019 by Garcia, Nogaj, Fazekas and Watson. Gatrall ledoff with a 53.01 backstroke time and Garcia followed with a 59.96 breaststroke effort, while Nogaj added a 51.09 fly time and Watson brought it home with a 47.61 free split.

Nogaj opened the day with a record-breaking effort in the 100-yard butterfly. Nogaj flew to a new meet record and pool record time of 51.76, just three-hundredths of a second away from breaking the all-time fastest time in program history. Junior teammate Sarah Watson (Winnipeg, Manitoba) owns the 51.73 program-best and current MAC record mark set in 2019. Watson captured the silver medal in this year's race while Abigali Daniels stopped the timer in the third spot two secure the top three positions in the event. Watson posted a 52.49 time for second place, and Daniel earned bronze with a 52.92 showing.

Akron won three additional silver and two bronze medals, placing second in the 400-yard individual medley, 100-yard breaststroke events and 100-yard backstroke events. Senior Olivia Gardner (Bromsgrove, England) used a 4:15.38 time to place runner-up in the 400 IM, while Garcia and senior Andrea Fischer (Oak Grove, Minn.) finished second and third in the 100 Breast with 1:01.14 and 1:01.25 times, respectively. In addition, Gatrall and junior Weronika Gorecka (Wroclaw, Poland) stopped the timer for the second and third positions in the 100 Back with 53.42 and 53.65 time.

Akron enters the finals with 594.5 points followed by Buffalo (421.5), Miami (289.5), Eastern Michigan (247), Ohio (243), Bowling Green (217), Ball State (155.5) and Toledo (149).

The MAC Championship finals are scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 25 with prelims at 10:30 a.m. and finals at 4 p.m. Fans can follow the action on ESPN3 or via live results on GoZips.com

Admission for the MAC Championships is $40 for adults all-session passes, $20 seniors and youth (3-17) all-session passes. A single session passes are $12 for adults and $7 for seniors and youth. Follow the link to purchase tickets online: The 2021-22 MAC Championships. You can also purchase passes at the door. Regardless of vaccination status, all guests, staff, and vendors will be required to wear a face covering while in the Cooper Pool.

Saturday, February 26: Finals (*Approximate starting times)
4:00 p.m. Doors Open to the General Public
4:10 p.m. 1st Heat of the 1650 Free Time Finals (The last heat will end at 5:30 p.m.)
6:40 p.m. Championship Heat – 1650 yard Freestyle
7:03 p.m.* Consolation Final Heat – 200 yard Backstroke
7:11 p.m.* Championship Heat – 200 yard Backstroke
7:21 p.m.* Consolation Final Heat – 100 yard Freestyle
7:28 p.m.* Championship Heat – 100 yard Freestyle
7:38 p.m.* Consolation Final Heat – 200 yard Breaststroke
7:46 p.m.* Championship Heat – 200 yard Breaststroke
7:57 p.m.* Consolation Final Heat – 200 yard Butterfly
8:05 p.m.* Championship Heat – 200 yard Butterfly
8:30 p.m.* 3-Meter Diving Finals
9:05 p.m.* Championship Heat – 400 Freestyle Relay
**Time Trials**

9:25 p.m.* Championship Awards –
All-MAC 2nd Team & All-MAC 1st Team
MAC Freshman of the Year – Diver/Swimmer
MAC Most Outstanding – Diver/Swimmer
MAC Diving Coach of the Year
MAC Swimming Coach of the Year
Presentation of Team Champion