Entering their final weekend of competition this season, the men's swimming team traveled to Nashville, TN to compete at the Mid-American Conference/Sun Belt Conference Men's Swimming and Diving Championship. Eastern Michigan won the championship for the MAC, with the Bulls placing in seventh.
Buffalo was one of four MAC programs that competed in the meet, which combined the Sun Belt Conference Championships and MAC Championships into one event. Eastern Michigan, Ball State and Miami (OH) also represented the MAC, while Western Kentucky, Denver, Missouri State, Southern Illinois, Evansville, and Florida Atlantic represented the Sun Belt Conference.
The meet, while combined, was scored as a single meet, as athletes and teams from each conference were recognized separately. The top three finishers from each conference were awarded medals, and the top teams from both the MAC and Sun Belt Conference were named their respective champion. Missouri State was victorious for the Sun Belt conference with 688 points.
The Bulls had a very successful meet as they brought home three MAC titles and broke three school records.
"We had a lot of guys that swam really well," said head coach Andy Bashor. "It was a different environment for us, with a lot of great competition, but our guys stepped up and performed well."
On the first day of competition, Buffalo junior Zach Ruske broke the Buffalo school record in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 1:52:43, eclipsing Kevin Remaly's time of 1:52:57 set in 1995. Ruske placed 11th overall and third in the consolation final, but finished as the fastest MAC swimmer in the event, earning him a MAC title.
Sophomore Michael McDowell also contributed, finishing third on the one-meter diving board with 284.10 points. He placed only behind one Sun Belt diver and Miami's Chris Heaton. Heaton has been the MAC Diver of the Year each of the past two seasons.
Another asset to the Bulls was freshman Clayton Sutton, who came in 14th place on the one-meter board with a score of 213.60.
On Friday night, Ruske claimed his second MAC title at the meet. Being the only MAC swimmer in the championship heat of the 100-yard backstroke, Ruske technically won his second MAC title before even swimming the race. He finished the backstroke in 51.62 seconds, putting him in eighth place overall.
Much like Thursday night, McDowell earned points for the Bulls as he finished fifth on the three-meter springboard. His 307.15 points placed him behind only Miami's Heaton and three Sun Belt divers.
On the final day of competition, the Bulls set two new school records and Ruske earned his third MAC title on the weekend.
Ruske's third title came in similar fashion to his second as Ruske had the title locked up before swimming at all. Like in the 100-yard backstroke event, Ruske was the only MAC racer in the championship final of the 200-yard backstroke. His finishing time of 1:48.50 put him in third place while also setting a Bulls school record, breaking Jason McLaughlin's time he had set in 2001.
In the 200-yard butterfly, Buffalo sophomore Scott Woster broke the third school record on the weekend as he took down Mark Sy's record set in 2003. His time of 1:50:81 placed him 10th overall and second in the consolation final.
Buffalo sophomore Connor Vander Zalm also scored for the Bulls on Saturday. He posted a lifetime-best time of 15:55:41 in the 1,650-yard freestyle and finished 10th overall.
The Bulls scored 200 points and finished the meet seventh overall, and third among MAC schools. Eastern Michigan was named Mid-American Conference Champions as their 589 points was top in the conference and good enough for third overall.
In Bashor's eyes, the Bulls performance at the MAC Championships was the perfect end to their season.
"I'm very proud of these guys," Bashor added. "They've been through the ups and downs but their hard work paid off and they stepped up when it counted.
The Bulls finished the season 3-4 overall, and 1-2 in conference play. Bashor feels that even though this was a great improvement for the team, there is even more promise for next year.
"Hopefully we can improve and have more guys that can step up and score for us," Bashor said.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
