BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The Western Kentucky University swimming and diving team opens its 2010-11 season when it takes on Vanderbilt and South Carolina on Saturday at noon at Centennial Sportsplex in Nashville, Tenn. The Lady Toppers will compete in a tri-meet with host Vanderbilt and South Carolina, and the Hilltoppers will swim against South Carolina only.
"The biggest expectations at this point in the year are that we actually get up and race and be competitive," WKU coach Bruce Marchionda said. "South Carolina is very, very good; a very strong SEC opponent and so it really kind of tests to see where we are right now. Vanderbilt is improving every year and getting better so again that will be a challenge as well on the women's side. We are basically looking to be competitive, get up and race and kinda see what happens here. We are just excited to see our athletes get up and compete and get a good assessment of where we are right now."
WKU is very familiar with Centennial Sportplex as it was the location for the Sun Belt Conference Championships the last three seasons, including last year when the Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers swept the team championships. The women's team won their third consecutive title and eighth in the program's history while the men's team claimed their first championship since 2007.
"We are actually really treating this as if it was a home meet," Marchionda said. "Our normal routine that we do for a home meet, will be the same that we do tomorrow with just an addition of an hour being on the bus. It is just a very comfortable situation for everybody."
The Commodores opened the season last weekend with a 127-96 loss to Southern Illinois in Carbondale, Ill. Several individuals posted strong performances, including freshmen Melissa Roberts and Chloe Ott. Roberts finished second in the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle while Ott finished second in the 200-yard IM and third in the 200-yard breaststroke. Laura Dillon is coming off a first-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly and Jess Eccher won the 200-yard IM.
Saturday will also be the season opener for South Carolina. The Gamecock men have one of the youngest teams in the SEC with only two seniors on the roster. Sophomore Michael Flach returns as the team's top swimmer, having captured the bronze medal in the 500 freestyle at the 2010 SEC Championships, earning a spot on the All-Freshman team and advancing to the NCAA Championships. Carolina also welcomes six freshmen to this year's squad, led by Spanish native Gerard Rodriguez, who specializes in sprint and IM events.
The Gamecock women will once again count on their diving corps to produce points this season, with two All-Americans in the mix for the Gamecocks. Senior Taryn Zack, a three-time All-American, leads the way for Carolina while junior Courtney Forcucci, an All-American in 2008 while a freshman at Houston, returns from a season-ending injury suffered last November. In the pool, senior sprinter Bridget Halligan is the only non-diving SEC scorer returning for Carolina, but redshirt sophomore Lindsey Olson provides much-needed depth in the distance freestyle events as she returns from shoulder surgery last year.
Vanderbilt and WKU have competed every year since 2006, but this is the first time the Commodores have hosted the Hilltoppers in a dual meet. Vanderbilt will also travel to Bowling Green in November to compete in the Hilltopper Invitational. It will be the first meeting with South Carolina on both the men's and women's sides.
For complete results and a recap of WKU's season opener, please visit WKUSports.com.
