Press Release courtesy of Illinois Athletics
The Fighting Illini women’s swimming and diving team is set for a busy weekend, as the team plays host to Northwestern and Rutgers on Friday, October 27, at 3 p.m. CT, followed by a road meet against Southern Illinois and Illinois State in Normal, Illinois, on Saturday, October 28.
“We are looking forward to a tough two days of competition this weekend,” head coach Sue Novitsky said. “Every practice we have been talking about having our energy up from the start of each practice. The team has to keep working on handling these challenging situations from practice and competitions so they can make the appropriate adjustments in the moment.”
A YEAR AGO
The Orange and Blue saw mixed results a year ago in Evanston, Illinois, falling to Northwestern 178-122, but defeating Rutgers 168-132.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Northwestern heads to Champaign with an 0-2 record after falling to both Georgia (167-125) and Georgia Tech (153-147) a week ago. Dating back to the 1975-76 season, the Wildcats carry a 19-8 record against Illinois, including wins in eight of the last nine meetings.
SCOUTING THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights hold an 0-1 record on the young season, falling to Florida Gulf Coast (199-116) in a two-day meet in Fort Meyers, Florida, on Oct. 6-7. The Illini have faced off against Rutgers just twice in program history, including the Illinois victory a year ago. The two teams also tied (150-150) back in 2014.
A YEAR AGO
The Illini dominated the tri-meet a year ago, earning victories over both SIU (178-103) and ISU (200-81).
SCOUTING THE SALUKIS
Southern Illinois has had a busy opening month of the season, competing in five events thus far. The team carries a record of 3-1, including wins over Evansville, McKendree and Truman State. The Salukis also participated in the CSCAA Open Water National Championships in Lawrence, Kansas, placing fourth out of 12. The team’s lone defeat came against Missouri State.
SCOUTING THE RED BIRDS
Illinois State comes into the weekend with a 3-0 record on the season, including victories over Indiana State, Lewis and Illinois Wesleyan. UI holds the advantage in the all-time series (27-7).
“Having the team compete multiple days and weeks in a row helps them work on the prelim/final format of the postseason,” Novitsky said. “Our athletes need to be able to step up and compete the night before and physically and mentally recover to be ready to go the next morning. In the postseason, we will have to do this seven sessions in a row over three and a half days. Any time we get to compete multiple times is a bonus.”
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