Rochester, Mich. (Feb. 15, 2006) - Oakland???s women???s swimming and diving team will attempt to continue its dominance of Mid-Continent Conference Championship competition, looking for its seventh league title in as many years. The meet will begin with preliminary heats at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 16 and wrap up with the last of final heats at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18. Melissa Jaeger (Ann Arbor, Mich.) will lead the Golden Grizzlies, having already reached the NCAA B-Standard in the 100-yard butterfly event, with an opportunity to clock provisional times in three other events. Along with its recent supremacy of the Mid-Con, Oakland???s women???s swimming and diving program has shown an ability to dominate its conference, as well as outside competition. Before joining the Mid-Con, Oakland???s women???s squad won the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference Championship nine consecutive seasons from 1989-1997. Adding to the program???s impressive resume, the team also claimed the National Independent Conference title the last four seasons, with its reign only ending because the Mid-Con Championship was pushed further into the season. No other Mid-Con school has been able to stay at the top as Oakland has since the league added women???s swimming and diving. Buffalo had been the conference???s powerhouse prior to Oakland???s arrival, winning four consecutive championships from the 1994-95 season to the 1997-98 campaign. Those four titles were the previous high until the Golden Grizzlies swept its first six attempts at the Mid-Con title. In the process, Oakland has set conference records for championship competition with the highest team score (1093, 2000-01) and largest margin of victory (476 ???C Oakland (1068), Western Illinois (592), 1999-2000). This year has been more of the same for Oakland, as Golden Grizzly women have the fastest time in the Mid-Con for every event this season. Jaeger leads the way with the top mark in five difference events (200-yard free, 100- and 200-yard butterfly, 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard individual medley). Sophia Gustafsson (Djursholm, Sweden) is dominating the distance freestyle competition, with the top times in the 500-, 1000- and 1650-yard events. With two of the top marks in the conference each, Amanda Burwell (Akron, Ohio) and Linda Keskey (Cakato, Minn.) are also adding to the Golden Grizzlies??? dominance. Rachel Beardsley (Fenton, Mich.), Riley Rigoli (Grand Haven, Mich.), Tara Baxter (Manotick, Ontario), Maria Musialczyk (Grand Rapids, Mich.) also have the fastest times in their respective events. Adding to their individual dominance, Oakland also has sole possession of the top times for all five relay events. Qualifying for the NCAA Championships will be another goal added on to team success at the three-day championship. Jaeger has already reached the NCAA B-Standard in the 100 fly, with opportunities to reach the B-Standard in the 200-yard fly, 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard IM, as well. Musialczyk is right on Jaeger???s heels in the 100 breaststroke competition and also has a chance of reaching the B-Standard time. Just over half a second slower than the NCAA B-Standard, Beardsley also has a chance at qualifying in the 50-yard freestyle event. Championship competition will begin on Thursday, Feb. 16 and continue through Saturday, Feb, 18. Each day, there will be preliminary heats run at 10 a.m., with those who qualifying competing in the finals at 6:30 p.m. that same evening.