Ribeiro Takes Gold as Women’s S&D Closes MAC Championships
April 17, 2021 | Women's Swimming and Diving
YPSILANTI, Mich. - - A bronze medal Thursday in the 500 freestyle. A silver medal Friday in the 200 freestyle. Then Saturday, freshman Marcella Ribeiro earned the title of Mid-American Conference champion.
Ribeiro became the Ball State women's swimming & diving program's first MAC individual event champion since the 2014 season Saturday evening when she claimed victory in the longest event of the 2021 MAC Championships: the 1650 freestyle.
"Marcella is tenacious in the pool and so humble outside the pool," head coach J. Agnew said. "She couldn't be more loved by her teammates, and when she brought home the gold they erupted in the stands like she'd just won the Olympics! They couldn't be more excited for her and for what it meant to see a Cardinal standing on top of the podium as the MAC Champion!"
In addition to becoming Ball State's first-ever MAC Champion at the 1650 distance (men's or women's), Ribeiro set program records for both the 1000 freestyle (10:01.21) and the 1650 freestyle (16:32.61) in the swim.
Ribeiro was not finished there, however, as she closed the meet by leading the 400 freestyle relay to a program-record time of 3:24.35. She swam the opening leg for the Cardinals and was followed by junior Alexa McDonald, freshman Kayleigh Witt and sophomore Apsara Sakbun.
For her overall effort over the three-day meet, Ribeiro was named to the All-MAC First Team.
That was not the only outstanding performance on the final day of the championships, however, as the Cardinals added 107 more points to finish the three-day competition with a score of 320. With the effort, Ball State placed fifth overall for its best team finish since the 2005 squad placed fourth.
"For a senior class that hasn't seen anything but 8th in their career at MAC, this 5th place meant everything!" Agnew continued "They have battled, changed the culture, and changed the trajectory of this program!"
Following the 1650 freestyle, which also saw junior Katie Walker place seventh with the third-fastest time in program history at 16:57.15, the Cardinals placed a pair in the finals of the 200 backstroke. Sophomore Jessie Fraley claimed 14th overall in 2:02.13, while sophomore Shelby Crist took 16th in 2:06.95.
Like the 100 breaststroke Friday, the Cardinals had four swimmers advance to the finals of the 200 breaststroke Saturday. This time, it was freshman Laura Wright who would lead the way, placing seventh in 2:17.02. Wright's prelim time was even faster, moving her into second in program history at 2:15.29.
Junior Alex Bader followed with a 10th-place time of 2:16.77, the fourth-fastest individual time in BSU's record book, while sophomore Jenn Gillen and McDonald placed 14th (2:20.18) and 16th (2:24.00), respectively.
Walker would add another strong swim to end her outstanding three days at the MAC Championships, placing 13th in the 100 butterfly at 2:02.32. Sophomore Sydney Dygert was not far behind, placing 15th at 2:04.05.
Rounding out Ball State's individual contributors on the final day of competition was freshman Riley Bullock who took home seventh in the championship round of 3-meter diving with a score of 259.55.
Overall, Ball State finished the three-day meet with 18 student-athletes scoring in individual events. Break down the relay events, and that number grows to 20 different Cardinals who had a hand in the 320 points.
"This team believes in itself and more importantly believes in each other," Agnew concluded "All weekend they just wanted to see how fast they could swim. It didn't matter who was in the other lane, they were prepared and they were on the attack every race! On the boards, I was so impressed with how our divers held their composure throughout the competition and each found there moment to shine for our Cardinals."
It was a strong ending to a great season for the Ball State women's swimming & diving program which is scheduled to return to action early next fall.
Final Team Standings
1. Buffalo - 773
2. Akron - 766
3. Miami - 436.5
4. Ohio - 390
5. Ball State - 320
6. Eastern Michigan - 305
7. Toledo - 262
8. Bowling Green - 252.5
1650 Freestyle Championships
1st - Marcella Ribeiro - 16:32.61 / 20 points - Program Record (note - her 10:01.21 at 1000 was also a program record for the 1000)
7th - Katie Walker - 16:57.15 / 12 points - 3rd in program history (note - her 10:20.49 at 1000 was 5th in program history)
22nd - Mary Kate Phillips - 17:40.99
200 Backstroke Championships
14th - Jessie Fraley - 2:02.13 / 3 points (2:02.00 in prelims - 4th in program history)
16th - Shelby Crist - 2:06.95 / 1 point (2:02.85 in prelims - 7th in program history)
200 Breaststroke Championships
7th - Laura Wright - 2:17.02 / 12 points (2:15.29 in prelims - 2nd in program history)
10th - Alex Bader - 2:16.77 / 7 points - 4th in program history
14th - Jenn Gillen - 2:20.18 / 3 points - (2:19.19 in prelims - 8th in program history)
16th - Alexa McDonald - 2:24.00 / 1 point (2:21.85 in prelims)
200 Butterfly Championships
13th - Katie Walker - 2:02.32 / 4 points (2:02.16 in prelims - 5th in program history)
15th - Sydney Dygert - 2:04.05 / 2 points
3-Meter Diving Championships
7th - Riley Bullock - 259.55 / 12 points
400 Freestyle Relay Championships
6th - Marcella Ribeiro, Alexa McDonald, Kayleigh Witt, Apsara Sakbun - 3:24.35 / 26 points - Program Record
Saturday Morning Preliminary Rounds (competitors not advancing to finals)
200 Backstroke Prelims
20th - Sophia Kuehn - 2:05.56
23rd - Audrey Schank - 2:06.48
EXH - Cecilia Moore - 2:03.97
EXH - Meri Gray - 2:13.29
100 Freestyle Prelims
21st - Apsara Sakbun - 51.89
24th - Kayleigh Witt - 52.11
26th - Gracie Saulman - 52.88
EXH - Elizabeth King - 52.73
EXH - Kya Pawli - 53.87
EXH - MaKayla Miller - 54.35
200 Breaststroke Prelims
18th - Cailin Merck - 2:22.76
EXH - Abbie McCarter - 2:27.96
200 Butterfly Prelims
17th - Phoebe Rensink - 2:05.76
Ribeiro became the Ball State women's swimming & diving program's first MAC individual event champion since the 2014 season Saturday evening when she claimed victory in the longest event of the 2021 MAC Championships: the 1650 freestyle.
"Marcella is tenacious in the pool and so humble outside the pool," head coach J. Agnew said. "She couldn't be more loved by her teammates, and when she brought home the gold they erupted in the stands like she'd just won the Olympics! They couldn't be more excited for her and for what it meant to see a Cardinal standing on top of the podium as the MAC Champion!"
In addition to becoming Ball State's first-ever MAC Champion at the 1650 distance (men's or women's), Ribeiro set program records for both the 1000 freestyle (10:01.21) and the 1650 freestyle (16:32.61) in the swim.
Ribeiro was not finished there, however, as she closed the meet by leading the 400 freestyle relay to a program-record time of 3:24.35. She swam the opening leg for the Cardinals and was followed by junior Alexa McDonald, freshman Kayleigh Witt and sophomore Apsara Sakbun.
For her overall effort over the three-day meet, Ribeiro was named to the All-MAC First Team.
That was not the only outstanding performance on the final day of the championships, however, as the Cardinals added 107 more points to finish the three-day competition with a score of 320. With the effort, Ball State placed fifth overall for its best team finish since the 2005 squad placed fourth.
"For a senior class that hasn't seen anything but 8th in their career at MAC, this 5th place meant everything!" Agnew continued "They have battled, changed the culture, and changed the trajectory of this program!"
Following the 1650 freestyle, which also saw junior Katie Walker place seventh with the third-fastest time in program history at 16:57.15, the Cardinals placed a pair in the finals of the 200 backstroke. Sophomore Jessie Fraley claimed 14th overall in 2:02.13, while sophomore Shelby Crist took 16th in 2:06.95.
Like the 100 breaststroke Friday, the Cardinals had four swimmers advance to the finals of the 200 breaststroke Saturday. This time, it was freshman Laura Wright who would lead the way, placing seventh in 2:17.02. Wright's prelim time was even faster, moving her into second in program history at 2:15.29.
Junior Alex Bader followed with a 10th-place time of 2:16.77, the fourth-fastest individual time in BSU's record book, while sophomore Jenn Gillen and McDonald placed 14th (2:20.18) and 16th (2:24.00), respectively.
Walker would add another strong swim to end her outstanding three days at the MAC Championships, placing 13th in the 100 butterfly at 2:02.32. Sophomore Sydney Dygert was not far behind, placing 15th at 2:04.05.
Rounding out Ball State's individual contributors on the final day of competition was freshman Riley Bullock who took home seventh in the championship round of 3-meter diving with a score of 259.55.
Overall, Ball State finished the three-day meet with 18 student-athletes scoring in individual events. Break down the relay events, and that number grows to 20 different Cardinals who had a hand in the 320 points.
"This team believes in itself and more importantly believes in each other," Agnew concluded "All weekend they just wanted to see how fast they could swim. It didn't matter who was in the other lane, they were prepared and they were on the attack every race! On the boards, I was so impressed with how our divers held their composure throughout the competition and each found there moment to shine for our Cardinals."
It was a strong ending to a great season for the Ball State women's swimming & diving program which is scheduled to return to action early next fall.
Final Team Standings
1. Buffalo - 773
2. Akron - 766
3. Miami - 436.5
4. Ohio - 390
5. Ball State - 320
6. Eastern Michigan - 305
7. Toledo - 262
8. Bowling Green - 252.5
1650 Freestyle Championships
1st - Marcella Ribeiro - 16:32.61 / 20 points - Program Record (note - her 10:01.21 at 1000 was also a program record for the 1000)
7th - Katie Walker - 16:57.15 / 12 points - 3rd in program history (note - her 10:20.49 at 1000 was 5th in program history)
22nd - Mary Kate Phillips - 17:40.99
200 Backstroke Championships
14th - Jessie Fraley - 2:02.13 / 3 points (2:02.00 in prelims - 4th in program history)
16th - Shelby Crist - 2:06.95 / 1 point (2:02.85 in prelims - 7th in program history)
200 Breaststroke Championships
7th - Laura Wright - 2:17.02 / 12 points (2:15.29 in prelims - 2nd in program history)
10th - Alex Bader - 2:16.77 / 7 points - 4th in program history
14th - Jenn Gillen - 2:20.18 / 3 points - (2:19.19 in prelims - 8th in program history)
16th - Alexa McDonald - 2:24.00 / 1 point (2:21.85 in prelims)
200 Butterfly Championships
13th - Katie Walker - 2:02.32 / 4 points (2:02.16 in prelims - 5th in program history)
15th - Sydney Dygert - 2:04.05 / 2 points
3-Meter Diving Championships
7th - Riley Bullock - 259.55 / 12 points
400 Freestyle Relay Championships
6th - Marcella Ribeiro, Alexa McDonald, Kayleigh Witt, Apsara Sakbun - 3:24.35 / 26 points - Program Record
Saturday Morning Preliminary Rounds (competitors not advancing to finals)
200 Backstroke Prelims
20th - Sophia Kuehn - 2:05.56
23rd - Audrey Schank - 2:06.48
EXH - Cecilia Moore - 2:03.97
EXH - Meri Gray - 2:13.29
100 Freestyle Prelims
21st - Apsara Sakbun - 51.89
24th - Kayleigh Witt - 52.11
26th - Gracie Saulman - 52.88
EXH - Elizabeth King - 52.73
EXH - Kya Pawli - 53.87
EXH - MaKayla Miller - 54.35
200 Breaststroke Prelims
18th - Cailin Merck - 2:22.76
EXH - Abbie McCarter - 2:27.96
200 Butterfly Prelims
17th - Phoebe Rensink - 2:05.76
Players Mentioned
Breast
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Dive
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Back, Free
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Breast, Fly
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Free, Back
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Breast
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Back, Fly
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Free
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
IM
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Breast
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Free
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Breast, IM
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Free, Back
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Back
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Free, Fly, IM
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Free
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Free, Fly
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Free
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Free, Back
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Free, Fly
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Back, Free
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Fly
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Free, Back
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Breast
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