Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Swimming and Diving competes in first conference action this weekend
10/06/2011 | 12:00:00 | Swimming & Diving
Oct. 6, 2011
By John Lock
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The SIU swimming and diving team opens its first head-to-head competition this weekend. The women travel to Evansville, Ind., for a dual conference meet on Oct. 7, and the men host Evansville and Miami (OH) on Oct. 8.
"We're in the heavy training part of our schedule, but we still need to swim fast times," head coach Rick Walker said. "We have a lot of respect for Evansville, both on the women's and men's side. They're capable of beating us. For the men, Miami is always a good program. There will be some great competition for us this weekend. They can beat us if we let our guard down."
On Friday, the women compete in their first team event of the year. The 13-event program will include 200-meter backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly races. The men host two conference opponents at the Dr. Edward J. Shea Natatorium on Saturday in the same 13-event program. The weekend also marks the start of the season for the diving team. Both the women and men will compete in one and three meter dives.
Last year, the women finished third of five at the Missouri Valley Conference Championships, and the men finished third of seven at the Mid-American Conference Championships. Both teams return several standouts. The men return two-time conference champion Justin Wolfe and a host of other standouts. The women's returnees are highlighted by Kirsten Groome, who won the MVC Championships in the 500 freestyle in each of the last two years. As a freshmen, Groome became the first Saluki to swim at the NCAA Championships in 20 years.
Players Mentioned
