2019 MEN’S MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- March 4th-7th, 2019
- Nixon Aquatic Center, Oxford, OH
- Short Course Yards, Prelims-Finals
- Defending Champion: Missouri State (1x) (results)
- NCAA Division I
- Live Stream
- Championship Central
- Day 1 Results
- Day 2 Results
- Day 3 Results
- Day 4 Results
The Miami men led the 2019 MAC Championships nearly wire-to-wire, and after inching away from the defending champions Missouri State on day 3 on Wednesday, they drove home their 8th MAC Conference Championship on Thursday. This is the team’s first conference title since 2006 and the first in the era of head coach Hollie Bonewit-Cron.
Bonewit-Cron was named the Coach of the Year after the title, which is her first such honor in the MAC. She was previously named Coach of the Year in the Sunshine State Conference while at Nova Southeastern, ad was actually the MAC Swimmer of the Year in 1999 as an athlete at Ohio (when the Miami women won the meet).
Miami’s 58.5-point margin of victory is actually a relative-blowout in the typically-competitive MAC. Only once in the last 5 seasons has the margin been bigger.
Your 2019 MAC Champions!!! pic.twitter.com/WfcahQNpoo
— Miami Swim/Dive (@MiamiOHSwimDive) March 8, 2019
Final Team Results
1. Miami – 957.5
2. Missouri State – 899
3. Southern Illinois – 606.5
4. Evansville – 339.5
5. Ball State – 320.5
Awards
Most Outstanding Swimmer: Iago Moussalem, Miami
Swimming Coach of the Year: Hollie Bonewit-Cron, Miami
Freshmen Swimmer of the Year: Pawel Krawczyk, MSU
Most Outstanding Diver: Harrison Moncino, Miami
Diving Coach of the Year: KR Li, Miami
Freshman Diver of the Year: Hunter Ongay, Ball State
Most Outstanding Senior: Artur Osvath, Missouri State
All-MAC 1st Team
Pawel Krawczyk, MSU
Artur Osvath, MSU
Lucas Paloschi, MSU
Harrison Moncino, Miami
James McGuire, Miami
Iago Moussalem, Miami
Blair Bish, MSU
Jacob Peloquin, Miami
Conner Ripp, MSU
Noah Barr, Miami
Antonio Thomas, MSU
Kayky Mota, Miami
Nic Wamsley, Miami
Gordon Wheeler, Miami
Minki Kang, MSU
All-MAC 2nd Team
Nick Ward, Miami
James Wray, Miami
Spencer Klinsky, Miami
Samuel Senn, MSU
Diego Valentim, Miami
Chris Phillips, SIU
FuKang Wang, SIU
Reilly Garman, SIU
Thomas Heye, MSU
Chris Cole, SIU
Sebastian Odent, MSU
Tamas Hajtman, SIU
Jake Precious, Miami
Bryce Blatter, MSU
Ryan Nash, Miami
Jake Schultz, MSU
Final Day Recap
Missouri State made an early run in the session, winning the first 3 events of the day. That included a 1-2-3-4 finish in the 1650 free, where freshman Pawel Krawczyk wrapped up his distance freestyle sweep. He won easily in 15:07.56, six-and-a-half seconds ahead of the field, adding to earlier wins in the 200 and 500 frees. If Missouri State was going to win this meet, it was going to be by the hands of their distance group: they also went 1-2-4-5 in the 500 earlier in the meet.
Next up was the men’s 200 back, and with 100 champion Jacob Peloquin of Miami relegated to the B Final, Conner Ripp was left to win the 200 back in 1:46.65. There he fougth back a Miami 2-3 finish for crucial points in the team standings. Miami’s James Wray was the top returning swimmer in the event, but took 2nd this year in 1:47.40.
Missouri State picked up a 3rd-straight win when senior Lucas Paloschi won the 100 free in 44.28, just out-touching Miami fresman Nic Wamsley (44.35) and junior Nick Ward (44.49). While that was a clutch win for Paloschi, the tide began to turn in that race after a 2-3-4 finish from the Redhawks.
Noah Barr then won the 200 breaststroke in 1:57.35 for Miami, beating out Missouri State star Blair Bish (1:57.55), who won the 100 going-away earlier in the meet. Missouri State pushed Artur Osvath, last year’s runner-up in the 200 breast, to the 200 fly this year, and in spite of his 2nd-place finish in that next race, the Redhawks put the meet away.
Led by Swimmer of the Meet Iago Moussalem, Miami wet 1-3-4-5-7 in the 200 fly.
Miami then finished 1-2 in the men’s 3 meter diving event, thanks to seniors Harrison Moncino and Ryan Nash, matching the same finish on the 1-meter earlier in the meet.
Ending on a high note, the Miami 400 free relay of Diego Valentim, Nic Wamsley, Nick Ward, and Moussalem on the anchor touched the wall first in 2:56.54. Missouri State was 2nd in 2:57.46, and Southern Illinois was 3rd in 2:59.88. That’s Miami’s first MAC title in the 400 free relay since 1982.
ITS PARTY TIME @MiamiOHSwimDive pic.twitter.com/uapJ5vkzja
— #MACtion (@MACSports) March 8, 2019
Winning a MAC Championship is the best feeling!!
Day 4 Recap: https://t.co/u3OHocWVqu#RiseUpRedHawks pic.twitter.com/P0BH1dx9JD
— Miami Swim/Dive (@MiamiOHSwimDive) March 8, 2019
People saying EMU wouldn’t have won but just look at the times from the previous years in events like 200 back and 200 fly… this year was embarrassing….Not to mention the class they had coming in
Congratulations to the RedHawks, Hollie and staff. Many, many great performances!
Lucky EMU got cut
This is great and I’m happy for Miami but come on… the best team in the MAC conference for men no longer has a team (Eastern Michigan) This is an accomplishment for Miami but let’s not forget why this win was possible. The team which never lost 2 Mac championships in a row is no longer THE force to be reckoned with.
Yeah who won last year though? And what team did Miami just beat? The winner of last years macs? Yes, if eastern and buffalo still had their programs it’s very possible those teams may of won. However, don’t diminish their title of MAC Champions. Look at the times. Eastern couldn’t put up with that. The only reason eastern could of won is with their phenomenal diving but as far as the swimming goes this team would compete with any Mac championship team in years past.
You bring up a good point. It was a very fast dual meet.
Unfortunately it was.
Congratulations Hollie and Miami!
Yeah, Hollie!! WTG Redhawks!!
Congratulations Hollie!! Winning as a Coach in the MAC has to feel just as good as a coach as it does as an athlete!