The Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets Swimming and Diving teams recently wrapped up their regular season portion of the schedule.

After the men started with a win against Wilmington inside the BW Natatorium, it would take them nearly a full month to get back into the win column in December. After defeating Buffalo State in Sarasota, Florida, the team struggled the rest of the season. They failed to win any of their final four match ups, falling to Ohio Northern, John Carroll, Wooster and Case Western and finished the regular season with a 2-7 record.

During that skid though, the Yellow Jackets took time to celebrate senior’s day, and it allowed them to reflect as well as look ahead to their younger pieces. Freshman Austin Olsavsky stole the show as he won three events, including setting a new personal record in the 100-yard free style.

Senior All-OAC performer Greg Shaw picked up a pair of wins in his last event at BW, but it was all the younger guys after that.

Freshman Zachary Pierce, who earned his first OAC Diver of the week award this season also won two events along with sophomore Michael Lewis.

The Yellow Jackets look to build off of the success their young athletes had, while also letting their juniors grow and compete as well.

Junior All-OAC performer Matthew Butt was a part of the relay team which completed a 1:39.36, 200-yard medley which broke the previous BW Natatorium record. Other returning pieces that performed well this season include junior stroker Michael Morsch, who set personal records this season, Junior freestyler Connor Hartup and freshman Immanuel Ayangoke, who continued to improve all season.

The women, on the other hand, did well but hit a rough patch to end the season. After starting off with three straight victories and a 6-2 mark heading into January, the team slipped and dropped their last three match ups, finishing with a 6-5 record.

Senior day provided the Yellow Jackets with eight seniors wrapping up their careers and four of them finishing on a podium.

The team was led by senior All-OAC stroker Marissa Kural and sophomore All-OAC performer Bella Ratino. The pair each won a pair of events with Kural setting a new BW Natatorium record for the 200-yard butterfly.

Senior Academic All-OAC performer Ellie Clymer took home two second place finishes in the 100-yard breaststroke and a diving event. She also placed third in the 200-yard breaststroke. Along with Clymer and Kural, senior All-OAC performer Erika Nockengost was partaking in her final events at BW. Nockengost also secured two second place finishes in the 100-yard freestyle and the 100-yard butterfly. She also placed third in the 50-yard freestyle, setting a new season best with a time of 26.34 seconds.

Other seniors included All-OAC freestyler Allie Thorson, who took second in the 500-yard freestyle and senior freestyler Meg Reynold who took home second in the 200-yard medley with Kural and Nockengost.