Press Release courtesy of Denison Athletics
The Denison University Men’s and Women’s swimming and diving teams begin competition Saturday, October 14 kicking off a schedule loaded with elite competition.
The Big Red will take on five NCAA Division I opponents, compete in three different states, and host the 2018 North Coast Athletic Conference Championships at the Trumbull Aquatic Center. In 2017, the Big Red men won the NCAC crown and finished third nationally. The women’s team also won the conference title and finished fourth at the national meet.
October 14 the Big Red will split the squad, as the swimmers will travel to Gambier, Ohio to compete in the Kenyon swimming relays, while the divers will remain in Granville to host the Denison Diving Relays. The following Saturday, the Big Red will host the first of three meets on the season, welcome Eastern Michigan to Granville.
The Big Red travel to Columbus, Ohio to open November competition with a road tilt against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Friday, November 3. After a quick turnaround, the Xavier Musketeers come to Granville to take on the Big Red the following day, Saturday, November 4. The following Saturday, Denison opens its NCAC schedule with a trip to Gambier to take on arch-rival Kenyon. Thursday, November 30, the Big Red will travel to Oxford, Ohio to take on Miami (OH) among others at the 3-day Miami Invitational, concluding Saturday, December 2.
On Thursday, January 11, after more than a month away from competition, the Big Red will get a taste of the national stage with a trip to the IU Natatorium to take on IUPUI. The natatorium is the host site of the 2018 NCAA DIII National Championships. January 19-20 the Big Red will compete against three teams in two days in Pittsburgh, Pa., taking on the University of Pittsburgh on Friday night and Johns Hopkins and Carnegie-Mellon on Saturday.
Denison begins February competition with a home meet against Ohio Wesleyan Saturday, February 3. Eleven days later, the Big Red will host the four-day NCAC Championships, running from February 14-17. To close out February, the Big Red will get one final tune-up before nationals, as they travel to Gambier once again to take part in the Kenyon Invitational.
From March 21-24, the Big Red will be in Indianapolis for the 2018 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships. Denison’s men will be seeking their fourth national championship and the women will be in search of their second.