Myriad colorful signs decorated walls above the pool in Norris Aquatics Center on Saturday for the Northwestern women’s swim team’s contest against Ohio State.
Carmen Cosgrove held true to a sign that read, “Carmen: a bullet with butterfly wings,” by setting the pool record in the 200-yard butterfly in 2:00.85.
Cosgrove, one of three seniors swimming their last home meet, shot out of the blocks and never looked back — winning the event by almost six seconds. She helped pace the Wildcats en route to a 177.5-109.5 victory over Ohio State.
The Australian native also swam legs on two winning relay teams. Her outstanding performance was rewarded Monday when she won NU Female Athlete of the Week for the second time this season.
In all, the Cats won 13 of the 16 events.
The regular season-ending win will serve as a huge mental boost for NU. The Cats have almost three weeks to rest before they travel to West Lafayette, Ind., for the start of the Big Ten Championships.
“This win gives us a lot of confidence,” Cosgrove said. “Each week we’ve been swimming better and better. We’re peaking at the right time.”
But Saturday it was all about reflection.
Fellow seniors Rachel Johnson and Kristin Ward both went out in style. Ward amassed four points for the Cats in the 1- and 3-meter diving events.
Johnson was the anchor in NU’s winning 800 freestyle relay, and came in a close second in the 100 breaststroke.
That event was won by sophomore Brielle Bovee. Even though she hasn’t competed since November, Bovee “shot out like a cannon,” according to NU coach Jimmy Tierney. Bovee has yet to lose in the 100 breaststroke this season.
“It almost shocked me,” Tierney said. “The win eased any fears or apprehension on whether or not she still has it. And boy she does.”
Bovee said she was happy to contribute to a win for the seniors. Although she’s not sure whether or not her injured shoulder will be 100 percent for the Big Ten Championships, she said she isn’t too worried about her physical status.
“They say swimming is 98 percent mental, and 2 percent physical,” she said. “If I believe that I can achieve my goals, there’s a strong likelihood that I will.”
The Cats showcased some swimmers that haven’t had the opportunity to score this season.
Junior Maria Reeves brought home a win in the 50 freestyle. Her time of 23.93 edged out freshman teammate Sara Petric by .04 seconds. The event turned out to be lucrative for the Cats, as sophomore Shuyan Phua rounded out the top three to earn her first points of the season.
Reeves and Phua weren’t done. The pair scored again for NU when they finished second and third behind junior Erin Swenson in the 100 freestyle.
NU exhibitioned a few events toward the end of the meet so the final tally would be somewhat respectable. Teams often do this in swimming — the NU men’s swim team exhibitioned matches two weeks ago against Notre Dame — and the women were recipients of this unwritten mercy rule twice earlier this season.
Even though Tierney said his swimmers were confident that they would beat Ohio State, the manner in which they won will be a mental sling shot as the Cats head into championship season.
“We swam at a pretty high level,” he said. “These people want to do well, and have set high standards for success.”
