Illinois Swim & Dive Announces 2018-19 Slate Including 3 Home Duals

Courtesy: Illinois Athletics

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Fighting Illini swimming and diving team has released its 2018-19 schedule, which features three home dual meets against Big Ten foes Michigan State, Iowa and Nebraska. The new campaign will begin with the annual Orange & Blue Intra-Squad meet on Saturday, September 29, and is highlighted by the first-ever ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

“This is a very competitive schedule for us,” head coach Sue Novitsky said. “We have some new meets on the schedule, the House of Champions Invitational and the ACC/B1G Challenge, and it is always a good experience to compete against some different teams. We want to make sure that we are challenging the athletes with the competition and allowing the team to continue to develop and gel.”

Schedule Notes: 

·       Home opener set for Friday, October 12 versus Michigan State

·       Dual meets against five Illinois schools, including SIU, ISU, UIC, University of Chicago and Northwestern

·       Inaugural ACC/Big Ten Challenge set for Nov. 10-11

·       UI will face off against Chicago and Youngstown State for the first time in program history

·       Diver Kuhn will look for repeat success after winning 1-meter competition at the UIC Diving Invitational a year ago

·       NCAA Championships will be held in Austin, Texas, from March 20-23

2018-19 Swim and Dive Schedule

Sept. 29 Orange & Blue
Oct. 12 vs. Michigan State
Oct. 20 at Southern Illinois
Oct. 20 vs. Illinois State (Carbondale, Ill.)
Oct. 26 vs. UIC (Evanston, Ill.)
Oct. 26 vs. University of Chicago (Evanston, Ill.)
Oct. 26 at Northwestern
Nov. 10-11 ACC/B1G Challenge (West Lafayette, Ind.)
Nov. 16-18 House of Champions Invitational (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Nov. 28-Dec. 1 USA Swimming Winter Nationals (Greensboro, N.C.)
Jan. 11 vs. Iowa
Jan. 18-19 at Youngstown State
Jan. 26 vs. Nebraska
Feb. 2 vs. UIC Diving Invitational
Feb. 20-23 Big Ten Championships (Bloomington, Ind.)
March 2 Last Chance Meet (West Lafayette, Ind.)
March 14-16 NCAA Zone Diving Championships (West Lafayette, Ind.)
March 20-23 NCAA Championships (Austin, Texas)
* All dates and times are subject to change