CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Fighting Illini Swimming and Diving Team will travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to close out the regular season on Saturday, January 30. The Illini (8-3) will look to end a two-meet skid and hand the Razorbacks (8-1) their first home defeat of the season. Meet competition begins at 11 a.m. CT.
“The team is training well after Nebraska,” said head coach Sue Novitsky. “You have to be able to reflect on the experience and analyze what you need to continue to work on and take action. We continue to follow our training plan heading into the Big Ten Championships in a couple of weeks. We have been working on fine-tuning our details and keep emphasizing the importance of diligent practice each day.”
Arkansas currently sits at No. 22 in the national rankings, according to CollegeSwimming.com. The Razorbacks are coming off a busy weekend that included victories over Vanderbilt, Houston and Clemson. With the three wins, the team improved to 8-1 overall, as well as a perfect 4-0 at the Arkansas Natatorium.
“Arkansas is a very strong team with a lot of talented athletes,” said Novitsky. “They compete well during the regular season and have been in and out of the top 25 all season. This meet is a great opportunity for the team to stand up and compete against a very challenging team. These types of meets are exactly what we need to keep working toward those breakthrough swims and dives. As a team, we will have to be very good from top to bottom, as Arkansas is not going to give us anything easily. I am excited to watch the team continue to fine-tune and be tough facing challenges.”
Last Time Out
UI hits the road again following back-to-back losses at Iowa and Nebraska. In a hard fought meet last weekend, the Illini came up just short to the Cornhuskers by a score of 162-138.
Next Up
Following the team’s trip to Arkansas, the Illini will have just over two weeks to train and prepare for the Big Ten Championships, which will be held in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Competition will begin on Wednesday, February 17, at 7 a.m. CT.
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Swimming news courtesy of Illinois Swimming & Diving.
