Women's Swimming & Diving Hosts Toledo Friday

October 29, 2009 | Women's Swimming and Diving

By: Ball State Athletics

MUNCIE, Ind. - - The Ball State women's swimming & diving team officially opens its 2009-10 season Friday, when it hosts Toledo in a 6 p.m. Mid-American Conference dual meet at the Lewellen Aquatic Center. BSU will also host Bowling Green Saturday in another MAC showdown slated for 1 p.m.

Last week, the Cardinals held their annual Red/White Meet with the red team scoring a 164-131 victory over the white squad.

Seniors Emily Karwoski (Zionsville, Ind./North Central H.S.) and Lisa Maertin (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln Way-Central H.S.), as well as sophomore Sara Hostetler (Vincennes, Ind./Jasper H.S.) each scored a pair of event wins for the red squad.

Junior Alanna Bader (Monroe, Wis./Monroe H.S.), sophomore Elizabeth Spilman (Bristol, Ind./Northridge H.S.) and freshman Jillian Bischoff (Atlanta, Ind./Hamilton Heights H.S.) also tallied event victories.

For the white squad, juniors Katie Bylsma (Westfield, Ind./Pinckney H.S.) and Maria Gramelspacher (Jasper, Ind./Jasper H.S.) tallied a pair of event wins, while senior Mary Ehresman (Lafayette, Ind./Jefferson H.S.) scored one.

Under the guidance of 31st-year head coach Laura Seibold-Caudill, the Cardinals return 23 letterwinners from last season's squad that posted seven school records and 15 performances which ranked in the top three in program history.

Last season, the Cardinals opened league action with a 168-125 setback at Toledo (Oct. 31). Maertin, Bader and Ehresman were the only three Ball State swimmers to record individual event victories in the meet, earning top honors in 1-meter diving (253.35), the 100 butterfly (59.21) and the 400 IM (4:38.08), respectively.

The Cardinals also scored a first-place effort in the 200 freestyle relay against the Rockets, with Bylsma, Gramelspacher and sophomore Nicole Saulters (Highland, Ind./Highland H.S.) combining with Lauren Harger for a time of 1:39.41.

In last season's meet at Bowling Green (Nov. 1), the Cardinals suffered a 160-140 setback to the Falcons, despite sweeping the diving events and winning the 500 freestyle.

Martin captured her first 3-meter MAC diving victory of the year by posting a score of 265.95 at BGSU, while sophomore Christina Riordan (Homewood, Ill./Homewood Flossmoor H.S.) tallied a score of 253.44 to win the 1-meter event. Ehresman rounded out BSU's event winners by taking home top billing in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:09.47.