by Adam Fabrizi, Sports Information Student Assistant
BEREA, OHIO -- Baldwin-Wallace College sophomore swimmers Mary Dye and Stephanie Zurca, both graduates of Twinsburg High School, have experienced success both being while teammates on the Twinsburg High School swim team and now at B-W. On February 12-14 at Case Western Reserve University, both Dye and Zurca hope to help the Yellow Jackets win an Ohio Athletic Conference title.
Dye, a Twinsburg resident and Zurca, a native of Aurora, helped B-W recently complete an undefeated regular season against Ohio Athletic Conference opponents for only the second time ever. The first time it occurred in 200, B-W went on to win its first-ever OAC swimming and diving title. The women’s team is currently 8-6 overall and 4-0 in the OAC following a dual meet last Saturday against Westminster (Pa.) College.
"Both Mary and Stephanie are key components in our lineup," said fifth-year Head Coach Mike Gallagher. "Both young women are talented academically and athletically. Their individual contributions at the OAC Championship Meet will have a huge impact on whether we win or lose an OAC title.
"They both have been great leaders ever since their first year of competition," continued Gallagher. "I am looking forward to the great things they will continue do for the B-W campus community and the swimming team."
Prior to attending the liberal arts school located in Berea, Ohio, Dye swam for three years and earned three varsity letters at Twinsburg H.S. As a senior, she was an All-Western Reserve Conference second-team selection as a member of the 200-yard medley relay and 200-yard freestyle relay teams. Dye also received All-WRC honors as a junior on the 100-yard freestyle relay team.
Zurca competed on the swim team for four years and earned three varsity letters. She also played softball for four years and earned two varsity letters. While swimming, she was named to the 2000-2001 second-team All-WRC team in the 200 free relay. During her senior year, she again received All-WRC second-team honors on the 200 free relay, 200 medley relay teams and individually in the 100-yard breaststroke. The 100 breaststroke is now her primary event at B-W. Zurca’s best times include 27 seconds in the 50-yard free, 1:01.58 in the 100 free and 1:14.73 in the 100-yard breaststroke.
Yellow Jacket Head Coach Mike Gallagher took notice of these young ladies and was lucky enough to have them as members of his squad. The coach and the swimming program were two major components that factored into their decision to attend B-W.
"When I was looking at schools, B-W’s swimming program really attracted me," said Dye, who competes in the sprint freestyles. "And after meeting with Coach Gallagher, I knew that B-W was the place for me.
He really cares about you as a person and not so much as a swimmer," said Dye, an elementary education major who would oneday like to teach second grade and coach. "Coach Gallagher knows about your swimming. Now, he is much more interested in our academics and whether we are contributing on-campus."
As a freshman, Dye excelled throughout the season and finished strong as she placed sixth at the OAC Championships in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 26.52 seconds. Her best time of the season was a 26.31 seconds. She also recorded a 58.84 time in the 100-yard freestyle and a 2:12.08 in the 200-yard free. Both also occurred at the OAC Meet.
"Mary made excellent strides during her freshman year," said Gallagher. "It took her some time to get adjusted to collegiate athletics, but once she did, she continued to get better.
"Her improvement has continued this year," said Gallagher. "She has already bettered her time in the 200 free and we are looking for her to improve on her bests in the 50 and 100 free races at the OAC Championships."
This year, Dye holds the fourth-fastest time on the team with a 26.68-second timing in the 50 free and the fifth-best time in the 100 free with a time of 59.56 seconds. In the 200 freestyle, Dye;s best time is a 2:11.56 clocking two weeks ago in a dual meet victory against OAC and Cleveland cross-town rival John Carroll University. JCU will be B-W’s main competition at the OAC Championship Meet.
"Before the season, our main goal was to swim to the best of our abilities. We ultimately want to win a conference title, but we knew that if we swam well and were successful, the honors and awards would come," said Dye, who was inducted into the Alpha Lambda Freshman Honor Society a year ago. To qualify for the Honor Society, a freshman must have a 3.5 grade point average or better in each of his or her first two semesters.
"We, as a team, are happy with our season so far, but we’re still not satisfied," said Dye, who serves as a member of B-W’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. "We’ve improved throughout the year and managed to have fun while doing so. Since we have concentrated on enjoying ourselves, there hasn’t been as much pressure on us to succeed.
"Now, with the OAC Championship Meet just two weeks away, we need to gain our focus, become serious and commit ourselves to winning an OAC title," continued Dye. "WE know that we have the talent to do it."
Zurca, like Dye, has made consistent improvement in her two years on the B-W campus.
"Stephanie is one of our top breaststroke swimmers," said Gallagher. "She has the ability to make a large impact at the OAC Championship Meet if she swims her best times. She is consistent, committed and self-motivated. We are looking for her to have her best meet of the year at the OAC’s."
A year ago, Zurca recorded a season-best time of 1:14.09 in the 100-yard breaststroke, which was the second-fastest time on the team. She also participated in the 200 breaststroke with a top time of 2:47.34 coming at the OAC Meet.
She agrees that this year’s squad is much improved from last year’s team.
"We are a better and more balanced team than a year ago," said Zurca, a middle childhood education major who would like to teach following graduation from B-W. Individually, I trained all summer and did a lot of cross-training. It has paid off and I’m happy with my times so far. I’ve been able to drop three seconds off my 100-yard breaststroke time.
"With the number of talented student-athletes our coaches went out and recruited last spring and summer, I was worried about losing my spot on the team. That motivated me to work that much harder over the summer," said Zurca. "This year, we’ve got a lot more competition at practice and it has helped to make everyone that much better."
This season, Zurca has the top time in the 100 breaststroke of 1:11.64, which is also the second-best time in Yellow Jacket history in that event. Her top performance in the 200 breaststroke came on November 12, 2003 at the Cleveland State Meet, where she swam a 2:42.57. It was almost a full five seconds better than her best as a freshman. She has competed in the 100-yard butterfly as well.
"Stephanie has made great strides from a year ago," said Gallagher. "She solidifies us in the breaststroke and in medley relay events. She is having just a fabulous year and we hope she caps it off at the OAC Championships."
While Dye and Zurca compete for the same school during the school year, it was not true this past summer when there was some additional competition between the two as competed against each other. This time, however, they saw things from a different perspective.
Dye and Zurca coached youth swimming teams and were opposing coaches on occasion. It was an experience that they can use for the future.
"Mary and I coached against each other during the summer. It was a lot of fun and we were able to gain some experience teaching others what we have learned," said Zurca.
With hopes of teaching and coaching following graduation, the time spent instructing others is something they have found to be beneficial. But for now, their eyes are set on the ultimate prize--an OAC Championship.
"Right now, our efforts are set on winning the conference title at the OAC Meet. After that, I’d love a chance to qualify for nationals," said Zurca. "Yeah, we want to win the OAC title," said Dye. "That’s all we can focus on right now."
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