WASHINGTON – George Washington second-year head swimming and diving coach James Winchester has announced the 2016-17 schedule for both the men’s and women’s squads.
“As we head into our second season together, we look forward to some new challenges as we broaden our schedule and challenge our young team,” said Winchester. “With almost half the roster being new to our program, we will have a lot of opportunity for growth as we face some great programs.”
The Colonials added nine men and 10 women to the program for the 2016-17 season and return 18 and 12 student-athletes, respectively.
The men will host four contests in a seven-meet regular season schedule, and the women will host five meets during an eight-meet slate.
“On the mens side, we’ll face a stern challenge the first two weekends as we race off against Davidson and NCAA Division II champion Queens, followed by five-time defending MAAC Champion Rider,” said Winchester. “At the back end of the season, I’m excited to continue our cross-town rivalries against Georgetown and George Mason as we prepare for the end of the season.
“Our women will face championship programs from Queens and then Richmond at home again, as well as a tough Bowling Green squad later in the season,” said Winchester. “Seeing a lot of our conference rivals this year will put us in good stead for our championship season.”
The Colonials open the 2016-17 season on Friday, Sept. 30, at Davidson for two days of competition. The men’s team will compete in a tri-meet with Queens, while the women’s team will face quad-meet competition with the addition of UNC-Asheville. The Queens’ men’s and women’s swim teams claimed the NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championship titles in 2016.
The Buff and Blue then host Rider in the season’s home opener on Saturday, Oct. 8, at the Charles E. Smith Center. The Rider men claimed the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) crown in 2016 for the fifth-straight season, while the women placed second. Howard then visits GW for a dual meet on Saturday, Oct. 29.
For the second straight season, the Colonials will travel to Cleveland State for the Magnus Cup Invitational from Friday, Nov. 18-Sunday, Nov. 20. The three-day competition will wrap the 2016 portion of the men’s schedule. The Magnus Cup will mark the largest meet of the regular season. A year ago, the men finished third out of six teams and the women took fourth in a 10-team field.
GW’s women will then wrap the fall with a dual meet against defending Atlantic 10 champion Richmond at the Charles E. Smith Center on Saturday, Dec. 3.
Both squads open spring semester action at home on Friday, Jan. 13. The men will compete in dual meet action with Georgetown, while the women will face both Georgetown and Bowling Green. Both of Georgetown’s teams posted runner-up finishes at the 2016 BIG EAST Swimming and Diving Championships. The next day, Saturday, Jan. 14, marks the final home meet of the season in Revolutionary Rivalry fashion when George Mason visits the Charles E. Smith Center Pool.
The Colonials conclude regular season competition on Saturday, Jan. 21, at Old Dominion.
The 2017 Atlantic 10 Swimming and Diving Championships will begin on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.
The 2017 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships will begin on Thursday, March 16, while the NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships will begin on Thursday, March 23. Both meets will be held in Indianapolis.
“Our season is set up for peak performance at A-10’s and NCAA’s in February and March, while our mid-season invite at the Magnus Cup will give us a good opportunity to see what our conference championship line-up should look like,” said Winchester. “This year’s team will look to continue the progress we made last year as we look to become one of the higher rated programs in the A-10. Our expectations will be high again, as we look to become the best versions of ourselves in the classroom, the community, culturally, and in the pool.”
Men’s Swimming and Diving Schedule:
| Date | Opponent / Event | Location | Time |
| 09/30/16 | at Davidson with Queens * | Charlotte, NC | TBA |
| 10/01/16 | at Davidson with Queens * | Charlotte, NC | TBA |
| 10/08/16 | vs. Rider | WASHINGTON, DC – SMITH CENTER POOL | TBA |
| 10/29/16 | vs. Howard | WASHINGTON, DC – SMITH CENTER POOL | TBA |
| Magnus Cup Invitational | |||
| 11/18/16 | Magnus Cup Invitational | Cleveland, OH | TBA |
| 11/19/16 | Magnus Cup Invitational | Cleveland, OH | TBA |
| 11/20/16 | Magnus Cup Invitational | Cleveland, OH | TBA |
| 01/13/17 | vs. Georgetown | WASHINGTON, DC – SMITH CENTER POOL | TBA |
| 01/14/17 | vs. George Mason * | WASHINGTON, DC – SMITH CENTER POOL | TBA |
| 01/21/17 | at Old Dominion | Norfolk, VA | TBA |
| A-10 Championships | |||
| 02/15/17 | A-10 Championships | Geneva, OH | TBA |
| NCAA Championships | |||
| 03/23/17 | NCAA Championships | Indianapolis, IN | TBA |
Women’s Swimming and Diving Schedule
| Date | Opponent / Event | Location | Time |
| 09/30/16 | Davidson with Queens and UNC-Asheville | Charlotte, NC | TBA |
| 10/01/16 | Davidson with Queens and UNC-Asheville | Charlotte, NC | TBA |
| 10/08/16 | vs. Rider | WASHINGTON, DC – SMITH CENTER POOl | TBA |
| 10/29/16 | vs. Howard | WASHINGTON, DC – SMITH CENTER POOl | TBA |
| Magnus Cup Invitational | |||
| 11/18/16 | Magnus Cup Invitational | Cleveland, OH | TBA |
| 11/19/16 | Magnus Cup Invitational | Cleveland, OH | TBA |
| 11/20/16 | Magnus Cup Invitational | Cleveland, OH | TBA |
| 12/03/16 | vs. Richmond | WASHINGTON, DC – SMITH CENTER POOl | TBA |
| 01/13/17 | vs. Bowling Green with Georgetown | WASHINGTON, DC – SMITH CENTER POOl | TBA |
| 01/14/17 | vs. George Mason * | WASHINGTON, DC – SMITH CENTER POOl | TBA |
| 01/21/17 | at Old Dominion | Norfolk, VA | TBA |
| A-10 Championships | |||
| 02/15/17 | A-10 Championships | Geneva, OH | TBA |
| NCAA Championships | |||
| 03/16/17 | NCAA Championships | Indianapolis, IN | TBA |