Swimming & Diving Set for First Home Meet
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Coming off a successful trip to Pittsburgh where it captured two dual meet wins, the University of Miami swimming & diving program will host Princeton and Nova Southeastern in a meet at the Whitten University Center Pool Friday at 4 p.m. Admission to the meet is free.
Head swimming coach Andy Kershaw, head diving coach Randy Ableman and the Hurricanes are looking to kickoff Homecoming Weekend at Miami with a strong start in the lanes and on the boards.
“We’re really looking forward to getting to compete at home,” Kershaw said. “It has been a long time since we’ve done that. It has been an interesting fall, with all of our schedule changes. We love competing at home. What a great environment. We have Homecoming, so we hope to see a lot of fans that are around right on the lake. We’d love to have fans cheering us on and then enjoy the Homecoming festivities. It’s a great weekend for sports overall.”
Kershaw said the Hurricanes will be challenged by a Princeton team under new direction and a Nova Southeastern team who consistently ranks among the top programs in Division II.
“We encourage fans to come and get into the mindset right away to start off the big weekend,” Kershaw said. “We have two good teams coming in. It’s Princeton’s first official meet of the year – they have a new head coach. She’s a great coach. I know they’re going to bring it. Nova has a tremendous program up there. They’re always one of the best Division II teams. Both teams present a huge challenge.”
Last time out, Miami edged James Madison, 169-129, and beat Michigan State, 154-146. Junior diver Marcela Maric, freshman swimmer Annie Kyriakidis and sophomore swimmer Manon Viguier both played key roles in the two victories.
“We’re a little banged up right now. I challenged our women to be warriors this weekend,” Kershaw said. “There is a lot to be said for being able to step up and protect your turf when things aren’t perfect. Right now, we’re not perfect. I think we’re going to see a lot of grit out of our girls. We’re going to have to. We’ll see where that puts us. I know they’re ready for a fight. They’re going to do the best they can do with the health we have right now. We’re looking forward to it.”
The Hurricanes have found success at the Whitten University Center Pool under Kershaw and Ableman’s direction, and are looking to continue that trend Friday.
“It’s one of the chances for our seniors to end the year at a place I know is very special to them and a place we’ve developed as a special thing here,” Kershaw said. “Diving will be a crucial part of our meet. It’s one of our biggest strengths. There will be a lot of action packed in there, and it’s time to go get it.”
