Vial Takes Fourth in 400 IM to Keep Falcons in Sixth at MAC Championships
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Ava Vial was grinning from ear to ear as she held an orange bouquet of flowers on the A final podium at the Alumni Arena Natatorium reserved for the top eight individuals in the 400 IM.
Still in her orange swim cap and white goggles, the grounded daughter of an eight-year NHL veteran was celebrating her fourth-place finish with a time of 4:20.62 as BGSU's first swimmer to qualify for an A final at the 2025 MAC Championships.
It was also the fifth-fastest time in program history and best since Jordan Andrusak's 4:19.84 in 2017.
Through the third day of the MAC Championships, Vial has proven to be a valuable force for the Falcons as they sit in sixth place (155 points) as a unit ahead of Eastern Michigan (142) and Toledo (131).
Madison Bond (4:30.44) and Grace Perlberg (4:30.84) made the B final of the event as well and placed 14th and 15th, respectively.
Perlberg and Vial also swam in the B final of the 100 breaststroke, as they placed 12th and 13th overall with marks of 1:03.33 and 1:03.40 – both of which earned top 10 times in BGSU history.
Emily McNicol took 11th in the 100 backstroke with a PR of 54.35, while herself, Riley McNichols, Bodrock and Samia Becdach placed seventh in the 200 freestyle relay (1:33.81).
Karina Solera and Taylor Devorace were the Falcons' top finishers in 100 butterfly and 200 freestyle prelims. Solera went a 55.60 in the 100 butterfly, just missing the B final by 0.30 seconds while Devorace was 26th in the 200 freestyle (1:52.75).
As for divers, Natalia Mayorga (239.40), Elise Snyder (237.45) and Evie Long (231.70) all qualified for the B final in the 3-meter diving. Both finals will take place on the final day of competition.
Up Next
The Falcons will wrap up the MAC Championships on Saturday, March 1. Prelims are set to begin at 10 a.m. while the finals will start at 6 p.m. with a senior recognition to take place prior.
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