JCU Drops to ONU On the Road in 2021-22 Season Opener

10/30/2021 9:59:00 PM | By: Adam Lenz, Staff Writer

Anna Glass won two events for the Blue Streaks against the Polar Bears.

ADA, Ohio -- In a meet of two halves, John Carroll loses on the road but returns home looking onward to next week.

The John Carroll University Blue Streaks' attempted comeback falls short in a heartbreaking 156-137 loss to Ohio Northern. Throughout the opening events, the Blue Streaks fell deep into a hole that they would be forced to climb out of.

In the 200 medley relay, JCU's quartet of fifth year Spenser Kale, junior Ashley Lynch, junior Gwyneth Hamilton, and sophomore Anna Glass swam respectively, but ultimately placed second (1:55.34).

In the 1000 freestyle, junior Lauren Spence (11:39.26) swam her way to a solid third place finish, despite the Polar Bears beginning to run away with points.

Junior Rachael Halapchuk (3rd, 2:06.82) narrowly missed out on a second place finish in the 200 freestyle.

The Blue Streaks were given a breath of life in the 100 backstroke thanks to Kale (2nd, 1:03.91) and Hamilton (3rd, 1:04.13), but ONU managed to continue to steal valuable points.

In the 100 breaststroke, Lynch (2nd, 1:13.52) swam to keep the team alive and within reach. Little did many know, but these miscellaneous finishes kept the Blue Streaks ultimately within striking distance later in the contest.

In the 200 butterfly, a clutch 1-2 finish kept the Blue Streaks hopeful. Sophomore Danielle Turi (2:23.99) led the way while classmate Bella Genise (2:30.56) held off a late ONU surge.

In the 50 freestyle, Glass (24.93) handed the Polar Bears their first defeat of the afternoon. With Hamilton (3rd, 25.77) close behind, JCU was fighting back.

The junior diving duo of Catherine Steinwachs and Katherine Visco provided immensely clutch 1-2 performances in both the 1M and 3M boards for the team. Valuable points that served as a breath of life into the team's efforts.

In the 100 freestyle, lightning struck twice as Glass (54.70) claimed her second victory on the day, with teammate Lynch (55.45) claiming third place for the team.

In the 200 backstroke, Kale (3rd, 2:21.07) continued to press onward with points for the Blue Streaks.

In the 200 breaststroke, junior Bojena Gross (2:41.15) claimed key points for the team while newcomer Regan Gunzy (3rd, 2:42.42) made a statement while almost finishing second.

In the 500 freestyle, senior Kyleah Gaydos (3rd, 5:46.31) outlasted the competition leading the way for the team in the event.

In the 100 butterfly, Turi (1:03.15) and Halapchuk (1:03.98) finished 2-3 respectively, but ONU continued to linger around despite the comeback efforts by the team.

Turi (3rd, 2:26.53) made the final push in the 200 individual medley for the Blue Streaks individually, but the team's effort to comeback began to appear futile.

The 200 freestyle relay quartet of Hamilton, Glass, Halapchuk, and Lynch swam their way to claiming the final race of the day for the team (1:41.75); but ultimately, the Polar Bears managed to hold on to their lead.

This marks the first dual meet loss since 1/24/2020 when JCU fell on the road to Ashland University (118-124), and the first OAC dual meet loss since 10/31/2015 when JCU fell on the road to ONU (147-152).

Despite the loss of the previously noted streaks, the team still holds a home OAC dual meet streak.

The Blue Streaks are back in action next Saturday, November 6, at Cleveland State University's Robert F. Busbey Natatorium. There they will host the University of Mount Union Purple Raiders and look to keep the home dual meet streak alive against OAC opponents.

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