Liberty vs. Campbell Dual Meet Canceled Because of Pending Snowfall; NC State Virginia at Risk

Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia is the first of what is expected to be many college teams to alter their plans ahead of a big east coast snowstorm this weekend.

Liberty’s planned two-day meet against former CCSA rivals Campbell has been condensed into a one day meet on Friday at 5PM at the Liberty Natatorium. The meet will be Liberty’s senior meet as their last dual meet of the season before the upcoming AAC Championships.

The storm is expected to drop snowfall from as far south as North Carolina all the way up through main and into Canada, with the heaviest band of precipitation currently forecast for Virginia, DC, and Southern Delaware. Places that don’t often see this much snow, including Arkansas, Tennessee, and Oklahoma City, are also expected to be dumped on.

Current forecasts call for 16-20 inches on Saturday and Sunday in Lynchburg. While the area often sees snows (including the Blizzard of 1996 that brought a record 20 inches of snow in a single day), the city averages about a foot per year, and 16-20 inches is enough to shut down all but the most necessary travel in most places.

With the storm spanning such a wide area, many or most of the dual meets east of the Mississippi are in danger this weekend, though many with short drives may be able to get competition in before the storm arrives (Towson vs. Drexel, Rutgers vs. La Salle, Villanova vs. Pitt).

Among the biggest ones at risk is a two-day, Friday/Saturday dual between top 25 programs and rivals NC State and Virginia in Raleigh, North Carolina. Local forecasters are predicting “as much as 8 inches of snow” this weekend in Raleigh.

One individual close to the teams said that they are currently discussing moving to a 1 day meet on Friday at 2PM, and SwimSwam has reached out to coaches from both teams to confirm.