Coming off the program’s third-straight Conference USA crown, Head Coach Randy Horner announced the FIU swimming and diving team’s 2017-18 schedule on Thursday.
Featuring teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Southeastern Conference (SEC), Big 10 Conference and Big 12 Conference, the 2017-18 schedule is comprised of 13 meets, including seven from the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center.
The Panthers, which posted the fourth-highest point total in C-USA Championship history last season, begin their quest for a fourth-straight championship on Sept. 30, hosting the University of Miami.
“Our schedule this season has a good balance,” Horner said. “We are excited to host our first annual FIU Fall Classic. It’s a new format for our team and should give our top athletes a chance to swim against some great competition. For the first time at FIU, we will be sending a split squad to compete on the road. It will be a challenge but should strengthen the depth of our team. The Purdue Invitational will be our focus of the fall semester. Competing against teams from the ACC, SEC and Big 10 will give us a true measure of where we rank on the national stage. All of our meets point towards preparing us for the C-USA Championship Meet and the NCAA Championships.”
FIU will begin the month of October with split-squad competition, hosting the FIU Fall Classic (Oct. 6-7), featuring TCU, Florida Atlantic, George Washington, Army, and Buffalo. Eleven swimmers and two divers will compete in the home event, while the remainder of the team will hit the road to compete against North Florida and Georgia Southern on Oct. 7 in Jacksonville. The team will then take part in this year’s Dual-A-Palooza (Oct. 27-28) in New Orleans, Louisiana. The meet will feature Rice, Tulane, and Denver.
FIU returns home to host Illinois in a two-day meet (Nov. 3-4). After traveling to West Lafayette, Indiana, for the Purdue Invitational (Nov. 17-19), featuring Purdue, Florida, Indiana, Virginia Tech, Southern Illinois and Missouri State, the Panthers will close out the 2017 calendar year, hosting Georgia Southern (Dec. 14).
Following a date in the Orange Bowl Swim Classic (Jan. 3) in Key Largo, Florida, FIU will host three-straight home meets. The Panthers will host the FIU Sprint Invite (Jan. 5), a dual meet with Central Connecticut State and Nevada (Jan. 11) and will welcome Nova Southeastern (Jan. 20) for Senior Day.
A pair of road meets close out the regular season as FIU travels to Fort Myers to take on intra-state rival Florida Gulf Coast on Jan. 27, followed by a trip to Boca Raton to face C-USA foe Florida Atlantic on Feb. 3.
The 2018 C-USA Swimming and Diving Championships will take place Feb. 21-24 from Georgia Tech’s McAuley Aquatics Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
2017-18 FIU Swimming & Diving Schedule
Date (Day) Opponent Site Time (ET)
Sept. 30 (Sat.)
Miami, Fla.
Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center
12:00 pm
Oct. 6-7 (Fri.-Sat.)
FIU Fall Classic
Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center
4pm/11am
(TCU, Florida Atlantic, George Washington, Army, Buffalo)
Oct. 7 (Sat.)
North Florida/Georgia Southern
Jacksonville, Fla.
TBA
Oct. 27-28 (Fri.-Sat.)
Dual-a-Palooza
New Orleans, La.
TBA
(Rice/Tulane/Denver)
Nov. 3-4 (Fri.-Sat.)
Illinois
Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center
5pm/11am
Nov. 17-19 (Fri.-Sun.)
Purdue Invitational
West Lafayette, Ind.
TBA
(Purdue, Florida, Indiana, Virginia Tech, Southern Illinois, Missouri State)
Dec. 14 (Thurs.)
Georgia Southern
Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center
1 PM
Jan. 3 (Tues.)
Orange Bowl Swim Classic
Key Largo, Fla.
TBA
Jan. 6 (Fri.)
FIU Sprint Invite
Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center
TBA
Jan. 11 (Thurs.)
Central Connecticut State/Nevada
Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center
4 pm
Jan. 20 (Sat.)
Nova Southeastern
Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center
12:00 pm
Jan. 27 (Sat.)
Florida Gulf Coast
Fort Myers, Fla.
12 pm
Feb. 3 (Sat.)
Florida Atlantic
Boca Raton, Fla.
12:00 pm
Conference USA Championships
Feb. 21-24 (Wed.-Sat.)
TBD
Atlanta, Ga.
All Day
NCAA Dive Zone
Mar. 5-7 (Mon.-Wed.)
TBD
Athens, Ga.
All Day
NCAA Championships
Mar. 14-17 (Wed.-Sat.)
TBD
Columbus, Ohio
All Day
All times eastern
All home matches in bold and ALL CAPS
Dates and times subject to change
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUSwimDive) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSwimmingAndDiving) for all the latest Swimming and Diving news. Follow all of FIU’s 18 athletic teams on Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).
Press Release courtesy of FIU Athletics.
