Courtesy: Pittsburgh Athletics
PITTSBURGH —The University of Pittsburgh swimming & diving program has released its schedule for the 2018-19 season, with head coach John Hargis unveiling a challenging slate that features three home dual meets at Trees Pool and numerous marquee events on the road.
“We’re very excited for this upcoming season,” Hargis said. “This is a challenging schedule with some great home meets, including the Backyard Brawl against West Virginia, as well as a lot of awesome racing opportunities on the road. This schedule will provide us the perfect preparation for the ACC Championships environment that we want our student-athletes ready to compete in.”
The Panthers open the season on Saturday, Oct. 6 with a trip to Tallahassee for an Atlantic Coast Conference tri-meet against host Florida State and Georgia Tech.
Pitt hosts George Washington the next week for its home opener, with the Panthers set to welcome Atlantic 10 opposition to Trees Pool for an 11 a.m. Saturday start on Oct. 13.
The fall dual-meet slate continues for the Panthers with ACC challenges at Virginia (Oct. 20) and against Notre Dame and Virginia Tech (Nov. 2-3) in South Bend, Ind., before some of Pitt’s top swimming athletes participate in the inaugural ACC/Big Ten Challenge at Purdue over the weekend of Nov. 10-11.
The prestigious Ohio State Invitational (Nov. 15-17) and USA Swimming Winter Nationals (Nov. 29-Dec. 1) follow that on the schedule. As is tradition, the Panthers will conclude the calendar year with the Pitt Christmas Meet at Trees Pool from Dec. 13-16 as local club teams compete in the home of Pitt swimming & diving.
Pitt resumes its dual-meet schedule in 2019, welcoming rival West Virginia to Trees Pool for the annual Backyard Brawl on Saturday, Jan. 5 at 11 a.m.
Following a trip to Denison (Jan. 19), Pitt concludes its home schedule and the regular season with the annual Western Pennsylvania Invitational, hosting some of the area’s top programs at Trees Pool for a weekend meet. Diving is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 25 at 4 p.m., with swimming on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 10 a.m.
That all leads up to the all-important ACC Championships, which return to Greensboro, N.C., this season. The ACC Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships will be held from Feb. 20-23, while the ACC Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships follow the next week from Feb. 27-March 2.
After the NCAA Zone Diving Meet in Annapolis, Md., from March 11-13 and the Last Chance Meets at Ohio State on March 3 (women) and March 10 (men), Pitt’s NCAA qualifiers will head to Austin, Texas, for the 2019 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships.
The women will compete first at this season’s NCAA Championships from March 20-23, with the men scheduled the next week from March 27-30 at Texas.
*Schedule is subject to change. Other meets may be added in the future.
