Sept. 29, 2011
NORMAL, Ill. -
For the third season in a row, the Illinois State swimming team will open its season at Southern Illinois and will compete in two events against the Salukis beginning Friday with the Saluki Miler and concluding Saturday with the in the 5K Open Water race.
The Redbirds will send a contingent of 12 swimmers to Carbondale, Ill., Friday for the Saluki Miler (1650 yards) beginning at 6 p.m. at the Recreation Center pool. On Saturday morning, the team will travel to Little Grassy Lake in Marion, Ill., to compete in the 5K Open Water race at 9 a.m. Four of the 11 freshmen swimmers listed on the team's roster will compete over the weekend, with the remaining eight swimmers being returning swimmers.
Illinois State swimming and diving head coach Steve Paska is anxious to see what his swimmers can do in their first competitive meet of the season.
"We have enjoyed opening the season the last two years at Southern Illinois and competing in these two events," Paska said. "These particular events will be a good test for our distance swimmers to see where they are at stamina-wise and if their hard work in the past few weeks of training have paid off. Half of the group competing this weekend will have a chance to compete in distance events later in the season, so this is not only a good test for them but also the four freshmen who have never competed at the collegiate level."
After competing Friday in the controlled environment of the indoor pool, the team will face a completely different challenge Saturday in the open water meet. Open water competitions are on the rise, both in the United State and internationally. That new experience is something Paska believes will give his swimmers a better perspective for the rest of the season.
"The open water race presents several different challenges than your standard timed meet," Paska said. "Our swimmers who have competed the past two years have enjoyed the open water meet and I'm sure this year's group will as well. It will test their stamina and I am anxious to see how they tackle the challenge of an open water swim."
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
