CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Following a pair of successful winter training trips, the Fighting Illini swimmers and divers have reunited and will head to a pair of weekend competitions. First on Friday, the Orange and Blue will head to Ames, Iowa, for a dual meet with Iowa State. A day later, UI will take on the Hawkeyes in Iowa City, Iowa.
“After a big training block we are excited to watch the team step up and compete against some great competition this weekend,” shared Illinois head coach Sue Novitsky. “Both meets are going to present their own challenges and as a team we have to be willing to step up and stay focused for each meet. It is going to take a total team effort in the pool and on the boards for us to be successful this weekend. The team has been training well and now it is time to sharpen up the details.”
Over the winter break, the Fighting Illini divers headed to the universities of Tennessee and Georgia and put in a vast amount of time on the boards. The Orange and Blue competed in the Georgia Diving Invitational, a competition that included many of the nation’s top collegiate divers. Additionally, the meet followed a championship-style format that will benefit the Illini come postseason action.
On the other side of the country, the Illinois swimmers were putting in work themselves. After numerous fight delays and a canceled flight altogether, the team members accompanied by head coach Novitsky and assistant coach Alec Hayden finally arrived in Coronado, California where they competed in an exhibition meet and trained at the Brian Bent Memorial Aquatic Complex.
Both upcoming meets in Iowa will follow the standard 16-event order. Action in Ames on Friday will commence at 4 p.m. CT while Saturday’s competition in Iowa City is slated for an 11 a.m. CT first gun.
Notably, Illinois’ 800 freestyle and 400 medley relay squads have put up numbers that rank in the top-50 times in Division I competitions this season with both marks coming at the Big Challenge hosted by Kansas. The 800 free relay unit posted a time of 7:20.42 and currently ranks 37th in the standings. UI’s mark of 3:42.47 in the 400 medley relay comes in at 47th on the list.
Check out FIGHTINGILLINI.com for more information and following links for the weekend meets. Additionally, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more coverage.
Swimming news courtesy of Illinois Swimming & Diving.
