By Lileana Pearson, Swimming World College Intern
The wait is over. The annual NAIA Mid-South Conference meet is finally here. After months of training, endless competitions and amazing races, it is time for a last-chance meet before NAIA Championships.
Teams will be tapered, shaved and ready to swim as many national qualifying times as possible so they may then embark on the journey to NAIA Championships in March.
Bethel, Campbellsville, Cumberland, Life, Lindsey Wilson, and Saint Catherine will all be racing at the meet this weekend (February 6-7). Top 5 ranked swimmers Laura Stephenson (LWC), Vladislav Khoroletc (UC), Charlotte Parent (CU) and others will also be attending the meet looking for personal bests and scouting out competition for the upcoming NAIA Championships.
The University of the Cumberlands is hosting the meet this year at their 25-yard, six-lane pool. Cumberlands will have the home pool advantage. Other college teams will be arriving the day before the competition begins and jump in to get a feel for the pool they anticipate to be filled with fast swimming this weekend.
Friday morning will begin the meet with the 500 freestyle at 10 a.m. and finish before noon with the men’s 200 freestyle. This session will kick off two days of intense mindsets and lights-out swimming.
Races to watch will be those containing NAIA top five competitors. Butterfly, IM, and breaststroke plus others have high potential to be extremely exciting and have some close finishes.
NAIA is holding nothing back as it progresses onward with one of its final long format meets this season. Other conferences within the NAIA will be competing in their last-chance meets in the next few weeks.
With excitement in the air, the Mid-South Conference last-chance is the meet to watch this weekend as the season comes to a close.