Courtesy: Duke Athletics
DURHAM, N.C. – This weekend marks a busy one for the Duke swimming and diving program, as Blue Devils embark to two different meets in Princeton, N.J., and West Lafayette, Ind. Eight swimmers and divers will represent the ACC in the inaugural ACC/Big 10 Challenge Saturday and Sunday at Purdue while other members of the men’s and women’s teams will compete at Princeton’s Big Al Invitational Friday and Saturday.
Big Al Invitational
Friday, 10 a.m./6 p.m. l Saturday, 10 a.m.
Princeton, N.J. – DeNunzio Pool
Friday Evening ESPN+ l Saturday ESPN+ l Live Results
Duke will join squads from Lehigh, Northwestern, Penn State and host Princeton at the 2018 Big Al Invitational. The two-day meet features three sessions of timed finals beginning at 10 a.m. Friday. Friday’s 6 p.m. evening session and Saturday’s 10 a.m. morning session will be streamed on ESPN+.
Friday morning’s swimming events include the 200-yard freestyle relay, 500 freestyle, 200 individual medley, 50 freestyle and the 400 medley relay while Friday evening will feature the 200 medley relay, 400 individual medley, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 100 backstroke and the 800 freestyle relay. Action concludes Saturday morning with the 1,650 freestyle, 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly and 400 freestyle relay.
The Blue Devil women head to Princeton as the No. 20 team in the country, according to the College Swimming Coaches Association of America’s TYR Top 25 Dual Meet rankings. The Duke men received votes in the CSCAA poll. The field at the Big Al Invitational also includes another team receiving votes in the Northwestern women.
ACC/Big 10 Challenge
Saturday, 5 p.m. l Sunday, 10 a.m.
West Lafayette, Ind. – Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center
Friday BTN Plus on BTN2Go l Saturday BTN l Swimming Live Results l Diving Results
Six Blue Devil swimmers and two Duke divers will compete for the ACC in the inaugural ACC/Big 10 Challenge Saturday and Sunday at Purdue. Juniors Kylie Jordan and Alyssa Marsh and freshman Easop Lee were selected to the ACC women’s swimming roster while seniors Judd Howard, Max St. George and junior Miles Williams were tabbed to the men’s swimming roster. Blue Devils Nathaniel Hernandez and Evan Moretti were two of just nine men’s divers chosen to represent the conference this weekend.
The ACC roster features 84 swimmers and 12 divers from 12 institutions.
Action in West Lafayette begins Saturday at 5 p.m. with the 400-yard medley relay, 400 individual medley, 100 freestyle, 200 backstroke, 200 breaststroke, 100 butterfly, 500 freestyle, women’s platform and men’s three-meter diving and the 800 freestyle relay. Sunday’s session gets underway at 10 a.m. and includes the 200 medley relay, 1,000 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, 50 freestyle, 200 individual medley, women’s three-meter and men’s platform diving and the 400 freestyle relay.
Jordan and Marsh are entered in the women’s 100 butterfly with Marsh also set to compete in the 50 freestyle. Lee is slated to swim in the women’s 400 individual medley and the 200 freestyle. Jordan and Marsh were selected to the ACC’s 200 and 400 medley relays, with Marsh also entered in the 400 freestyle relay and Lee in the 400 and 800 freestyle relay.
On the men’s side, Howard will represent the ACC in the 100 breaststroke and St. George in the 100 backstroke. Howard, St. George and Williams have all been selected to one of the ACC’s 400 medley relay teams, with Williams also on the roster for the 400 and 800 freestyle relays and Howard and St. George for the 200 medley relay. In diving, Hernandez and Moretti are both entered in the three-meter and platform events.
Colella’s Take
“We’re incredibly proud of the group that’s representing Duke and the ACC as they compete against the Big 10,” said head coach Dan Colella. “It’s going to be a weekend with a lot of pride on the line, and I think there’s going to be a tremendous amount of fast swimming. For both the group that’s going to Purdue, as well as the group that’s going up to Princeton, it’s an opportunity to have a multiple-session meet. In two weeks we’re heading to Tennessee for our big fall invite, so we’re still in the midst of some really good training right now. I just think that when presented the opportunity in these settings, there should be some great racing and great diving going on.”
Last Time Out
Blue Devil divers swept all four springboard events last Saturday in a strong showing against East Carolina and Richmond in a diving-only competition in Greenville, N.C. Four different Blue Devils earned first-place finishes on the day, with the men sweeping the top three spots in both springboard events and the women the top four spots.
Up Next
Following the pair of meets this weekend, the Blue Devils wrap up fall competition Nov. 29 through Dec. 1 at the Tennessee Invitational in Knoxville, Tenn.
