2023 MAC Women’s Championships
- Wednesday, February 22 – Saturday, February 25, 2023
- Oxford, OH
- Defending Champions: Akron (1x)
- Live Results
- Live Video
- Championship Central
Event Schedule
Wednesday
- Exhibition Platform diving
- 200 medley relay
- 800 freestyle relay
Thursday
- 200 free relay
- 500 freestyle
- 200 IM
- 50 freestyle
- 1-meter diving
- 200 freestyle relay
Friday
- 100 butterfly
- 400 IM
- 200 freestyle
- 100 breaststroke
- 100 backstroke
- 400 medley relay
Saturday
- 1650 freestyle
- 200 backstroke
- 100 freestyle
- 200 breaststroke
- 200 butterfly
- 3-meter diving
- 400 freestyle relay
The Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championships are set to begin next Wednesday in Oxford, Ohio. Akron reclaimed the team title last year being upset by Buffalo in 2021.
Akron returns many of their top scorers, and is projected to be dominant yet again. The battle for 2nd is shaping up between Buffalo and a quickly improving Miami.
Returning NCAA Qualifiers
- Weronika Gorecka (Akron) – Gorecka qualified for NCAAs last year in the 100 and 200 backstroke, where she ended up placing 52nd (53.59) and 33rd (1:54.38), respectively. Gorecka, now a senior, returns this year as 2nd-ranked backstroker in the conference behind her teammate Maddy Gatrall.
- Nicole Maier (Miami) – In 2022, Maier qualified for NCAAs in the 100, 200, and 500 free. She recorded her highest finish in the 200 free, where she clocked a 1:46.09 for 32nd. She ended up 42nd in the 500 (4:45.39) and 53rd in the 100 (49.42). She comfortably holds the top spots in the conference this year in those same events.
Showdowns & Stars
Maddy Gatrall (Akron) – Gatrall has put up big best times in pretty much every event she’s swam this season. Her breakthrough season began at the Magnus Cup Invite in November, where she won 10 of her 11 events, with all but one being career best times. She is currently 1st in the conference in the 50 free, 100 back, and 200 back. She has a good chance of making NCAAs, as her 100 back sits at 16th nationally, while her 200 back puts her at 19th. Her biggest competition in backstroke at the conference level is her teammate, Gorecka, who qualified for NCAAs last year. In the 50 free, she’ll have to hold off Buffalo’s Toni Naccarella, who has been as fast as 22.58 this year.
200 Breaststroke – This event should be a tight battle between Ohio junior Ami Hornyak and Akron’s Andrea Fischer. Hornyak has been as fast as 2:11.79 this season, while Fischer is just 0.01 behind. Fischer is the defending champion in the event, while this is Hornyak’s first season competing in the MAC.
1650 Freestyle – Gail Workman from Akron is the defending champion in this event, but will have to face Savanna Mouat from Eastern Michigan. Mouat and Workman were the only swimmers in the conference under seventeen minutes coming out of midseason meets, however, Audrey Conley from Miami clocked a 16:53.38 this month to post the fastest time in the conference. Close behind, there is also four athletes who have been 17:01 this year. The event could really be anyone’s to win, especially considering that distance freestyle events tend to see large time drops.
100 Freestyle – NCAA qualifier Nicole Maier leads this event by just half a second over Tony Naccarella from Buffalo. They earned 2nd and 3rd in this event last year, separated by less than half a second. Maier’s teammate Honor Brodie-Foy is ranked 4th after earning a 4th place finish at last year’s meet. Gatrall is ranked 3rd in the event, although she may not swim it due to the 200 back landing on the same day.
SwimSwam Picks
- Akron
- Miami
- Buffalo
It looks like this meet is Akron’s to lose. Maddy Gatrall and Abby Daniel are projected to win multiple events individually, while the rest of the team stacks up their depth in nearly every other event. Nicole Maier is a big reason why Miami is projected to be ahead of Buffalo, but the Bulls have depth where Miami does not, meaning it could be a very close race for 2nd.
Lets go ladies!
BULLS ON THREE! 1! 2! 3! BULLS!
Justice for Ohio
My sources say Akron and UB battle it out for first, Miami and OU battle it out for 3rd. Ohio may actually get justice this year and have their first individual champion since 2015 and finish in the top three team standings for the first time since 2013. Are they back…..?
The Bobcats are back.
Go Bulls!!! Horns up!!!!
Think it’s fair to say Akron is the best top to bottom mid-major team in the country right now. The MAC as a whole tends to be a fun meet, I’ll be following results from the meet closely.
The MAC is always a fun meet to watch and does have some fast swims! I agree with Akron being the top mid-major team in the country.
I think Princeton is clearly the top mid-major
Love me some MACtion! Always a fast and deep meet. Hopefully they switch to top 24 scoring in the near future. Would be an even more competitive meet in the middle of the pack.
I don’t know who these bison are but I wouldn’t count them out
Why all the dislikes? Must be from some fans of other good mid-major teams that are insulted by your claim.
Akron and Princeton are two strong mid-major programs for sure. I just ran the meet simulator (Standard 16) and came out with Princeton ahead by about 30.