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2015-16 Swimming and Diving Season Preview
October 06, 2015 10:58 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving
The West Virginia University men’s and women’s swimming and diving team opens the 2015-16 season on Thursday and Friday with the West Virginia State Games in the WVU Natatorium.
The meet, the first of six home events in eight days, serves as the starting point for coach Vic Riggs’ ninth season in Morgantown, and it comes on the heels of a strong preseason for Riggs and the Mountaineers.
“I think we’ve gotten off to a good start,” Riggs said. “We spent a month of weight training, conditioning and voluntary practices before the season, which helped. Both teams have progressed really well, and I know we’ll be ready to race.”
In addition to the West Virginia State Games, WVU plays host to the Big 12 vs. ACC Weekend on Oct. 16 vs. Georgia Tech and on Oct. 17 vs. Virginia Tech. The following weekend is the Big 12 vs. Big East Weekend, when Butler, Seton Hall and Xavier come to the WVU Natatorium on Oct. 23-24.
WVU ushers in 2016 with the swimming and diving edition of the “Backyard Brawl” against Pitt in Morgantown on Jan. 9 at 10 a.m. The home slate concludes on Jan. 29 as the women face Big 12 foe Iowa State and the men and women square off against Villanova.
Each opponent on the schedule serves as a buildup to the Big 12 and NCAA Championships.
“I think each of the meets creates a different opportunity for us,” Riggs said. “The West Virginia State Games is a good chance for all the programs in the state to get together and see where we are and start the season. Then, I think we go up quite a bit when we race Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech the next week at home. Both are quality programs that regularly compete at the NCAA Championship level, so I think those will be great challenges.
“Then the next week with Butler, Xavier and Seton Hall coming in, it gives us an opportunity to make needed adjustments and see where we are. I think it’s good that we have all the meets in October at home. That eliminates travel issues and gives us the opportunity to perform well.”
The Mountaineers’ first road trip doesn’t come until a trip to the Tennessee Invitational on Nov. 20-22. That’s one of five road meets the team will compete at, two of which are diving competitions.
Along with a heavy home schedule, the upperclassmen will be an important part of the team’s success this season. Despite the fact that Riggs won’t rely solely on his seniors, the eight seniors on the women’s team and seven on the men’s squad will provide valuable experience and leadership.
It’s the impact the student-athletes make in and out of the pool that can be vital to a team’s success.
“I think both teams have leadership that has developed very well over the past three years,” Riggs said. “I think we’re still learning how to be leaders, but the athletes in those positions are doing a really good job of bringing the teams together. Leaders can be developed at any age and at any time. We like for our older athletes to not only help the freshmen, but in the water everyone’s the same as anybody else. All of them have been developing well.”
One swimmer who will be setting an example in the water is senior Andrew Marsh. A Scholar All-America First Team honoree, Marsh was one of two Mountaineers who qualified for the NCAA Championships last year.
Also returning in 2015 after earning national academic honors in 2014-15 are seniors Jaimee Gillmore and Lindsay Schmidt, who were named to the Scholar All-America Honorable Mention Team by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America. Additionally, both the men’s and women’s teams were honored by the CSCAA and named Scholar All-America Teams in recognition of the teams’ overall GPA.
The men are coming off a third-place Big 12 finish, while the women finished fourth a season ago at the Big 12 Championships. In 2014-15, four team records were broken, three pool records set and two long course marks were broken.
While it’s not just on the 15 seniors to provide leadership, it is a big year for the Mountaineers that are beginning their final season competing for the Blue and Gold.
“I think it’s an important year for our seniors on both sides,” Riggs said. “We had goal meetings the other day, and I think they’ll be an integral part in achieving that. We’re just trying to get better every day.”
Getting better every day. That’s the goal for not only the seniors, but the entire team. The road to the Big 12 and NCAA Championships begins Thursday at the West Virginia State Games and continues for the next six months.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow the team on Twitter and Facebook.
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