Ball State men's swimming and diving coach Bob Thomas knew that his team was in for a fight against Miami University on Saturday.
In the end, Miami prevailed, earning a 140-97 victory. Thomas, however, was far from discouraged by his team's effort.
"I was very impressed with the effort put forth on both sides," he said. "We were competitive in all the races today. If you take out the diving, it's a very close score."
The day was about more than just the race. The seniors, who were swimming their last official race at Lewellen Pool, were all honored before the meet.
The Cardinals opened up on a high note, taking both first and second place in the 400-yard medley relay. Adam Dale, Gavin McNeely, Chris Krupa and Devon Hill placed first with a time of 3:33.74. The squad of Ryan Misener, Jordan Rantz, Jim Aksamit and Casey Schroeder came from behind and placed second by less than a half of a second with a time of 3:35.68.
Other winners included Ben Battjes, who placed first in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 21.52. He also teamed up with Schroeder, Hill and Laska to win the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:25.64.
Andrew Hostetler won the 400-yard individual medley with a season-best time of 4:13.73. Gavin McNeely won a very tight 200-yard Breaststroke, beating out Miami's Austin Kosier by one-tenth of a second with a time of 2:12.52.
Thomas saw a lot of positive signs in the match, and said he is comfortable with his team heading into the MAC Championships.
"You can't change the outcome of the race," he said. "But you can control what you are going to do as a team. And I am very confident in our abilities."
The Cardinals do not compete until the MAC Championships March 4-6. Thomas said they will use the next couple weeks to rest so they are at full strength for the biggest part of the season.
"We've worked hard all season," Thomas said. "And now it's time to rest. We're used to doing a lot of volume, but now we're going to cut back."
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