@CanesSwimDive Set for FIU's Dual-A-Palooza
MIAMI – A month removed from its first competition of the season, the Miami Hurricanes swimming & diving team makes its return to the pool Friday for the first of three dual meets over a two-day span.
The Hurricanes will face off against FAU, Rice and FIU as part of Dual-a-Palooza hosted by FIU at the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center on Fri., Oct. 16 and Sat., Oct. 17.
Miami faces off against FAU at 4 p.m. Friday, Rice at 10 a.m. Saturday and wraps up against FIU Saturday at 3 p.m.
“It’s hard to believe we’re halfway through October and we’re going to swim again after competing a month before,” head coach Andy Kershaw said. “A lot of times this is where we start our competitive season. But our training has been very good, it’s gotten more grueling, and our team is putting in those important building blocks for the season.”
Kershaw has been impressed with his team’s work ethic in the pool since returning from the All-Florida Invitational in Gainesville on Sept. 20, where he says intensity has maintained at a high level.
“[Intensity] is one of the areas we’ve improved the most on, not just this year but over the last little bit here, it has been a challenging environment,” Kershaw said. “That’s been good. That’s what we want to prepare for.”
Crucial to maintaining that intensity has been the leadership of veterans across the team, including senior captains Kara McCormack and My Fridell.
“Kara and My are two tremendous captains,” Kershaw said. “They’ve definitely fulfilled those roles to the fullest. Kara more so with the divers, while My has been the one keeping things moving in the right direction in the pool with our swimmers.”
Several others – including junior Angela Algee, junior Cameron Davis, junior Christina Leander, sophomore Julie Suarez and sophomore Ksenia Yuskova – have also been pivotal in keeping training at a high level.
Kershaw hopes that training pays off this weekend, as Miami competes against two local teams and another familiar opponent from his time on the coaching staff at SMU in Texas.
“They’re three great programs, and I have a lot of respect for all of them,” Kershaw said. “All four of us are all a little different in the way we’ve designed our programs, our training and things like that.”
Miami fell by one point to FIU in last year’s dual meet on Senior Day, and Kershaw expects the Hurricanes to be incentivized by the chance to capture a victory Saturday.
“Both FIU and FAU are local, so it brings an added element of energy,” Kershaw said. “I’m sure all three teams are keen on that fact, I know that we all feel that way. You want to beat the teams that compete close to you.”
Kershaw expects the team to be ready for Friday’s Dual-a-Palooza opener against FAU before closing Saturday with Rice and FIU.
“These are all programs that have swimmers at the NCAA Championships, and that’s what we want to compare ourselves against,” Kershaw said. “We want to come Friday afternoon, Saturday morning and Saturday afternoon and say, ‘Bring your best against our best.’ And when it’s all said and done, we’ll get back to working on the season.”
