By Dan D’Addona.
While all eyes are on the USA College Challenge between Team USA and the stars of the Big Ten, there will be a handful of other meets going on this week in the Big Ten.
With the biggest names in the conference in Indianapolis for the unique challenge meet, this week is an opportunity for some tune-up races and meets before teams get back into the daunting Big Ten schedule.
Michigan State at Bowling Green
The Spartans make the short trip across the border into Ohio for this dual meet with a Mid-American Conference opponent. Bowling Green has been one of the top teams in the MAC and this will be a competitive meet for Michigan State, which need to get some momentum rolling as it heads into the heavy Big Ten season.
Minnesota hosts invitational
The Golden Gophers are hosting the Minnesota Invitational from Nov. 10-12. This meet will give the Golden Gophers a strong meet with multiple days of racing for everyone — something that not every team gets at this point of the season.
The Golden Gophers rolled past North Dakota last week and Iowa the week before that. Minnesota started the dual meet season by splitting the Border Battle with Wisconsin. The Minnesota men won and the Wisconsin women won.
This is the perfect time for a multi-day meet to get the Golden Gophers back into full race mode.
Indiana hosts Cincinnati
The No. 1 Hoosiers will host a tune-up meet with Cincinnati on Friday. Indiana has surged to the top ranking in the men’s poll and is No. 12 in the women’s pool. This meet will give the Hoosiers a chance to mix things up. Swimmers can compete in off events or lighten the load and focus on one race for some fine-tuning.
Ohio State hosts Cleveland State
The Buckeyes continue their hosting in-state opponents. After hosting NCAA Division III powers Kenyon and Denison, Ohio State hosts Division I Mid-major Cleveland State. This should be another easy win with some fun mixed events for the Buckeyes.
Penn State at Princeton
The Penn State divers will travel to Princeton for the Princeton Diving Invitational. These diving invites are always fun and give the athletes a look at some new dives and new opponents.
