Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Saluki Swimmers Open Season Against Kansas
03/14/2001 | 12:00:00 | Swimming & Diving
September 22, 2000
The Southern Illinois University Carbondale men's and women's swimming and diving teams open the 2000-2001 season with the eighth annual Open Water Swim against Kansas Saturday morning at Touch of Nature's Camp One Beach. Meet time is scheduled for 8 a.m.
The meet will be a straight open format with each team, men's and women's, using 12-15 swimmers to compete in the 5K race at Little Grassy Lake. The top five times for each school will be added together and the winner will be the school with the lowest overall score.
"This really is a fun event for both teams," SIUC Men's Coach Rick Walker said. "Those who are a little bit hesitant will talk about it all year long after they have done it. It is one of those things where you go up on top of a mountain you have never skied before, scared to death, and you finally do it and that's all you talk about for the next two weeks."
An extra added attraction to the race is the fact that the Kansas team will be housed by individual members of the Saluki swim teams. Each Jayhawk will be assigned a Saluki team member to spend Friday night with either in his or her dorm room or at their apartment or house.
"I think having the opposing team spend time with our swimmers is a great thing," Walker said. "To me, that is showing the opposition another side of sports. It brings people together. When Kansas comes in on Friday, they will all meet at the Student Rec Center and go their separate ways to spend the night with our team members. Then, in the morning, they go over to the lake for the swim and we then feed them before they go."
The Saluki women's team won its fourth straight Missouri Valley Conference crown last season under Head Coach Mark Kluemper. Since then, he has retired and been replaced by long-time assistant Jeff Goelz, a former NCAA All-American for the Salukis in the early 1990s. The women only lost two swimmers to graduation and return eight seniors.
The Saluki men's team finished second last season in the MVC after capturing five straight titles under Walker's direction. The men lost 13 senior swimmers to graduation including Herman Louw, two-time MVC Swimmer of the Year.
