The West Virginia University men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams close the home portion of the 2018-19 schedule by hosting Big 12 Conference foe TCU on Saturday, Jan. 12, at the WVU Natatorium.
The meet is set to be WVU’s final competition at the Natatorium, the home of the Mountaineers since 1975. Competition is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., and admission is free for all fans.
Prior to the Senior Day meet, the team will recognize the accomplishments of 11 seniors: Jake Armstrong, Marah Bieger, Julia Calcut, Drew Damich, Tristen Di Sibio, Merwane El Merini, Lexi Glassmire, Emma Harris, Averly Hobbs, Jake Preaskorn and Madelyn Woods.
“As I told the team this week, I imagine Saturday will be the best meet environment for a home meet since I’ve been here,” WVU coach Vic Riggs said. “We will be celebrating our senior class and all they’ve done for the program, and we will be celebrating many of the wonderful memories the Natatorium has given to so many of our student-athletes for nearly five decades of meets, with more than 150 alumni, friends and family in attendance to help us ring in the start of a new chapter with our new home next year.”
Saturday marks the seventh consecutive season West Virginia will compete against the Horned Frogs. The men’s team has won five in a row over TCU, while the women have taken two straight against the conference opponent.
At last year’s meeting, WVU combined to win 29 of 32 events, including the men’s team going a perfect 16-for-16, in a pair of Mountaineer wins in Fort Worth, Texas. The men won, 221-77, while the women were victorious, 196-103.
El Merini, then-sophomore Morgan Bullock and then-freshmen David Dixon and Angelo Russo all finished with four wins against the Horned Frogs last season. Bullock and Dixon each won three individual events to pace the Mountaineers.
The WVU men enter Saturday’s contest with a 3-1 dual-meet record this season, while the women’s team sits at 2-2. The meet will be the Big 12 opener for both teams.
Last time out, the Mountaineers fell to Pitt in the Backyard Brawl on Jan. 5, at Joe C. Trees Pool in Pittsburgh. The men’s team fell, 175-125, while the women suffered a 197.5-102.5 setback. Bullock led the way with four total wins, including three individually.
With the performance, Bullock earned Big 12 Women’s Swimmer of the Week and WVU Student-Athlete of the Week honors. WVU also saw three other student-athletes garner Big 12 awards this week, as the team earned a sweep of the conference accolades for the first time this season and fourth time in program history.
Russo was named the Men’s Swimmer of the Week after posting an individual win and relay win against the Panthers, while freshman PJ Lenz was picked as the Men’s Diver of the Week. Lenz earned two wins on springboard against Pitt, while Hobbs recorded a pair of second-place finishes on 1- and 3-meter, to earn Women’s Diver of the Week honors.
TCU is led by first-year coach James Winchester. The Horned Frog men’s team enters with a dual-meet record of 3-2, while the women’s team travels to Morgantown with a 3-6 record, including 0-2 in the Big 12.
— The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with West Virginia. For press releases and advertising inquiries please contact Advertising@SwimmingWorld.com.