The Redbirds will end their fall semester competition by participating in the second-largest collegiate swimming and diving invitational in the nation. The meet, hosted by Akron at the Oliver J. Natatorium, will begin Friday Nov, 30 at 9am and continue through the finals on Sunday Dec. 2 at 4pm.
Fifteen colleges and universities will participate in the meet and showcase a wide-range of competition, which is what head coach
Steve Paska has been anticipating all semester.
We have been preparing for this meet all season, said Paska. It will be a mid-season test of where we stand and how far we have come since the beginning of the season.
Paska is expecting that his team will perform well at Akron after a two week break where theBirds have had time to concentrate on training and have been able to rest in preparation of the meet. The swimmers have also used this week of practice to pump themselves up and get excited for the huge upcoming competition.
Laura Segerlin, diving coach, is also expecting a lot from the Akron meet for her all-freshman diving team. With no upper-class divers to look up to, this meet will be an example to the team of what the conference meet will be like at the end of the season.
I want to see good performances from my divers, said Segerlin. It would be a huge boost to their confidence and prepare them for next semesters championships.
Last year, the Zips of Akron won the meet but with more schools participating this year, the competition increases.
