After the dust had settled on the Bulls' grueling three-day Mid-American Conference Championship meet in Bowling Green, Ohio, Buffalo had finished eighth in the nine team field and sophomore Jennefer Brankovsky had left her mark on the MAC.
Brankovsky broke four individual school records and lead off in Buffalo's record setting 800-yard freestyle relay. She placed first in the 200-yard individual medley (2:01:91) and the 200-yard breaststroke (2:17:98). She took third in the 100 butterfly (55.89) and set two other individual records as the lead-off swimmer in the 800 free relay (1:51:80).
Brankovsky also took the MAC Swimmer of the Year Award, the first UB swimmer to do so. This comes also due to the fact that Brankovsky earned three NCAA "B" cuts, meaning that she may be competeing in the NCAA National Championships. Her best chance is in the 200 IM (her time would have been good enough to make it last season). If the NCAA does not fill their heats with enough "A" cuts, then Brankovsky will have an excellent chance of going to the meet. She would be the first UB swimmer to compete at NCAA Nationals if she did.
The 800 free relay team consisting of Brankovsky, junior Jolie Pun, freshman Rachel Rubin, and senior captain Melissa Schafer broke the previous school record by five-tenths of a second, touching the wall at 7:38:98.
The Bulls were relatively successful in the long distance over the events, with two swimmers scoring in the 500 and the mile (1650 yards). UB placed 10th and 11th in the mile with senior captain Katrina Sinclair finishing 10th with a time of 17:25:31. Pun touched the wall at 17:28:10, good for 11th. Pun and Sinclair were at it again in the 500, finshing 11th (5:00:26) and 15th (5:04:78) respectively.
Junior Heather Rochette took 11th place in the 400 IM with a time of 4:34:43. Senior captain Lisa Boettrich had a lifetime best 58.67 in the 100 backstoke, which was good for 12th place. Sophomore Janet Reynolds turned in a 14th place finish in the 200 fly with a time of 2:08:32. Pun also placed in the 200 free, with a time of 1:54:31, good for sixth place.
Buffalo's lone diver, freshman Ashlee Burton, placed 10th in three-meter diving with 378.54 points. She also had a 15th place finish in one-meter diving, with 202.20 points.
Miami took their second straight MAC title with 715.5 points without a major challenge from second-place Ohio (628). Eastern Michigan (498) was third, followed by Toledo (419), Ball State (312.50), Bowling Green (306.50), Akron (293.50), UB (206) and Marshall (180).
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
