Pitt Unveils 2016-17 Swimming & Diving Schedule

PITTSBURGH – University of Pittsburgh swimming & diving unveiled its 2016-17 schedule on Wednesday as new program head coach John Hargis announced that the Panthers will have six home meets this upcoming season along with several challenging road tests to best prepare for crucial postseason competition.

Pitt swimming & diving will open its campaign with an away Atlantic Coast Conference meet against Boston College and Georgia Tech on Oct. 8 in Chestnut Hill, Mass. The Panthers will then travel to Virginia, home of the defending ACC women’s champions, on Oct. 21 before returning for their first home meet of the season at Trees Pool against Buffalo on Oct. 28.

Coach Hargis emphasized the importance of putting together a tough schedule in collegiate swimming, which was something he wanted to immediately accomplish upon becoming Pitt’s new head coach.

“One of the first things I wanted to do when I got the job was to make our schedule as challenging as possible,” Hargis said. “One of our philosophies is if you want to be the best, you need to race and compete against the best. We want to be prepared for championship season. Our team will be comfortable racing the best in the country by ACCs and NCAAs. This schedule makes me very confident that we will be prepared for our most important meets at the end of the season.”

The Panthers will host Notre Dame and Virginia Tech in an important ACC tri-meet on Nov. 4-5 at Trees Pool before traveling to the Ohio State Invitational for the Buckeyes’ prestigious annual meet later in November. The annual Pitt Christmas Meet will begin on Dec. 15 and conclude on Dec. 18.

Hargis also highlighted some of Pitt’s other marquee early season tests, including this year’s “Backyard Brawl” swimming & diving meet against West Virginia on Jan. 7 at Trees Pool.

“Going down to Ohio State, we’ll be racing a bunch of top-notch teams,” he said. “Being able to race Virginia early will also be a great test. They have one of the best teams in the country on the women’s side. Being around the best early on will set the tone for our season. The meet with West Virginia is always a nice rivalry that we want to continue within swimming that we are also looking forward.”

After a busy January slate that also features a home matchup with Florida State and Denison on Jan. 14 and the Western Pennsylvania Invite against Duquesne, Carnegie Mellon, Clarion and California University (Pa.) on Jan. 28 at Trees Pool, Pitt will soon after shift its focus to postseason competition.

The 2017 ACC Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships are set for Feb. 15-18 before the ACC Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships takes place on Feb. 22-25, with both meets to be held in Greensboro, N.C. The 2017 NCAA Championships will be held in Atlanta, with the women’s event running from March 15-18 and the men’s meet going from March 22-25.

Pitt diver Dominic Giordano will aim to defend his 3M title and better his All-American placing in the 1M dive after his fantastic performance at the 2016 NCAA Championships, while numerous other members of the Panthers’ swimming & diving program will hope to qualify and place at nationals this season under the new regime.

This story is courtesy of the Pittsburgh Panthers.