After a season full of hardships, this weekend’s ninth place finish wasn’t a surprise for the Ohio State women’s swim team at the Big Ten Conference championships.Coach Neil Harper said he hoped for a higher place at the start of the season.”If someone had told me we would place ninth at the start of the season, I would have been disappointed,” Harper said. “But we made the best of situations this year with ailments, sicknesses and broken bones. It’s kind of a half-full, half-empty situation.”Those swimmers who stepped up and did what they were asked and stayed injury-free, got what they deserved at the conference meet, Harper said. “We swam really well (at Big Tens) and have nothing to be disappointed about,” said junior Heidi Hazen. “We had a lot of improvement and personal bests and have nothing to be ashamed of.”Hazen and her teammates Ann Stephens, Kristin Sander and Tanya Brouillete finished tenth in the 400 medley relay with a season best of 3:28.65.”Relays are a lot of fun and you have three teammates with you,” Hazen said. “They are counting on you and you don’t want to disappoint them. We work well together and we had expected to go fast this weekend.”Hazen, along with freshman teammate Keryn Kyrnauw made B cuts for the NCAA championship. The NCAA sets a fast time as an A cut and a little slower of a time for a B cut, Harper said. Krynauw and Hazen will travel to an invitational this weekend at the University of Michigan to attempt to get closer to an A cut time.”Right now we sit and wait,” Harper said. “In two weeks, when the bids are offered to the 27-28 women to fill the 300 limit at NCAA’s, we will know if they are going to go or stay. We have to see where they are ranked among the rest of the B cuts.”Freshman Kristen Sendrowski placed 13th in the 200 butterfly with a time of 2:04.65. Sendrowski said everyone swam well.”A couple of people placed really well and were happy with their swim,” she said.”From a coaches standpoint, those who did what we asked, maximized their efforts and potential and did well,” he said.The nine swimmers who made personal bests will return to the Buckeye squad next season. Harper said the team will build on those swimmers.