BOWLING GREEN, Ky.-The Western Kentucky University swimming and diving team opens its 2012-13 season on Saturday, October 13 at 1 p.m. against Delta State in the Bill Powell Natatorium located inside the Raymond B. Preston Health and Activities Center.
"We are pretty excited about getting up and racing against someone other than ourselves to see where we are at this particular time of year and see what we need to be focusing on going into the heart of the dual meet season," said WKU head coach Bruce Marchionda, who is entering his 11th season on the Hill and eighth as head coach. "It will be good to also see if the little things we have been working on in practice gets translated into the racing or if it just goes out the window because they are racing."
The Lady Toppers and Hilltoppers are coming off a season that saw them each place second at the 2012 Sun Belt Conference Swimming and Diving Championships. Over the four-day meet, the two teams combined to set 12 school records, three SBC meet and conference records, and tallied 16 NCAA provisional qualifying times.
A group of 21 newcomers, including five transfers, will join the 36 returners to compile this season's team. Highlighting the returners are Mid-Major Honorable Mention All-Americans senior Hilary Mishler, Alex Van Oost, Adam Dajka, Billy Kunkel and Luke Musser, junior Heitor Rodrigues, and sophomores Claire Conlon, Allie Duff and Hannah Runyon-Hass.
WKU holds a 3-0 record on both sides against the Statesmen and Lady Statesmen. It's the first time since the 2007-08 campaign that the Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers have opened their competition season at home, as WKU took a win over Delta State in the teams' last dual meeting.
"Delta State is very good, especially on the men's side," said Marchionda. "They have four guys who are very good and will give our guys as much as they can handle, so it will be good for us to be challenged there."
Delta State opened the season October 6 with losses to Alabama. Vlad Zinca and Karl-Richard Henneback picked up wins against the Crimson Tide, as Zinca earned a win in the 100 fly with a 50.44 while Hennebach took first in the 100 back with a 50.97 time.
For the Lady Statesmen, Maria Torres placed second in the 1000 free with a 10:41.80 while Hannah Core picked up a win among scoring swimmers in the 200 IM with a 2:16.32 in the event.
After Saturday's meet, WKU returns to the pool for the team's annual Red and White scrimmage before the men take off to Chicago to face off with Northwestern and Illinois-Chicago while the women go to Nashville to face Vanderbilt and Tulane.
