AKRON __The Ohio Northern men's swimming and diving team opened the 2026 Ohio Athletic Conference Championships meet with a third-place finish in the 800 free relay on Wednesday evening.

The Basics

• Record: Ohio Northern (8-0 overall, 4-0 OAC).
• Ohio Northern is third of five teams with 32 points.
• Mount Union leads the team standings with 40 points, Wilmington is second with 34 points, Baldwin Wallace is fourth with 30 points and Heidelberg is fifth with 28 points.
• Venue: Ocasek Natatorium — Akron, Ohio.

Meet Highlights

• Sophomore Chase McCluskey (Pickerington/North), junior Nathan Herbert (Medina/Highland), freshman Owen Weiss (Strongsville) and senior Tyler Edmonds (Youngsville, La./Southside) were third in the 800-yard free relay in 6:56.14.

Notables

• The meet consists of 20 events over four days, including 13 individual races, two diving events and five relays.
• The 800 free relay was the only event contested on Wednesday.
• The top three individuals and the top two relay teams in each event earn All-Conference honors.
• Northern's 8-0 regular season record is the best in program history.
• Austin Veltman is 44-20 in his seventh season as head coach of the Polar Bears.

Up Next

• The Polar Bears will return to action on day two of the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships, Thursday at the Ocasek Natatorium at the University of Akron. The prelims are slated for 10 a.m. with the finals beginning at 6  p.m. .