The Duke swimming and diving program, led by head coach Dan Colella, released its schedule for the 2017-18 campaign Friday. Highlights of the slate include dual meets against five ACC opponents, as well as a trip to Knoxville, Tenn., for the Tennessee Invitational this fall.
The Blue Devils’ three home dates include a two-day meet against Florida State and Virginia Tech, as well as the program’s annual meeting with North Carolina. Duke’s road schedule features a trip to nearby Raleigh, N.C., to take on NC State and Penn State, in addition to dual meets at Virginia and Queens University of Charlotte.
“The 2017-18 meet schedule is one that we’ve set up with a lot of great competition,” Colella said. “It is really going to help us perform at a high level all year long, with the intention of performing at an even higher level come championship season. We’re thrilled for the new addition of Penn State – to get a Big Ten school on our schedule is exciting and we’re looking forward to competing with them in October. Overall, we are looking to continue building our program both within the ranks of the ACC and nationally.”
The two-day competition with ACC opponents Florida State and Virginia Tech opens the season Oct. 13 and 14 in Taishoff Aquatics Pavilion. The Duke men’s and women’s teams both earned wins over the Seminoles in the programs’ last meetings in 2015, while the Blue Devils will face the Hokies head-to-head for the second consecutive season. The following weekend will see Colella’s student-athletes go up against NC State and Penn State Oct. 20 in Raleigh. Duke will compete against the Nittany Lions in the dual meet format for the first time in program history.
The Blue Devils kick off November with a trip to Charlottesville, Va., to take on Virginia Nov. 3. After a couple weeks off of competition, the squads then travel to Knoxville, Tenn., to take part in the Tennessee Invitational Nov. 30-Dec. 2.
Duke will ring in the new year with a dual meet at Queens University of Charlotte Jan. 12. The teams then close dual meet competition against North Carolina Jan. 27 in Taishoff. Last season saw the Blue Devils turn in historic performances against their Tobacco Road rivals, as the women defeated the Tar Heels for the first time in program history and the men for the first time since 1939.
The team will then compete at the Janis Hape Dowd Nike Invitational in Chapel Hill, N.C., Feb. 2-4.
The ACC Championships return to Greensboro, N.C., beginning with the women’s championship Feb. 14-17. The men’s team takes its turn at ACCs the following week, with the meet running Feb. 21-24 at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.
Duke’s divers will look to punch their tickets to the NCAA Championships March 5-7 at the NCAA Zone B Diving Championships in Knoxville. The Blue Devils will then look to round out the season at the NCAA Championships, with women’s qualifiers competing March 14-17 at Ohio State’s McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion in Columbus, Ohio and men’s qualifiers taking to the national stage March 21-24 at Minnesota’s Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center in Minneapolis, Minn.
2017-18 Duke Swimming and Diving Schedule
OCTOBER
13-14 – FLORIDA STATE and VIRGINIA TECH, 5 p.m./11 a.m.
20 – vs. NC State and Penn State, Raleigh, N.C., Time TBD
NOVEMBER
3 – at Virginia, Time TBD
30 – Day One at Tennessee Invitational, Knoxville, Tenn., All Day
DECEMBER
1 – Day Two at Tennessee Invitational, Knoxville, Tenn., All Day
2 – Day Three at Tennessee Invitational, Knoxville, Tenn., All Day
JANUARY
12 – at Queens University of Charlotte, 5 p.m.
27 – NORTH CAROLINA, 1 p.m.
FEBRUARY
2-4 – Janis Hape Dowd Nike Invitational, Chapel Hill, N.C., All Day
14-17 – Women’s ACC Championships, Greensboro, N.C., All Day
21-24 – Men’s ACC Championships, Greensboro, N.C., All Day
MARCH
5-7 – NCAA Zone B Diving Championships, Knoxville, Tenn., All Day
14-17 – Women’s NCAA Championships, Columbus, Ohio, All Day
21-24 – Men’s NCAA Championships , Minneapolis, Minn., All Day
Press Release courtesy of Duke Athletics.