Swimmers Open Season Friday On The Road At Denver
10/11/2006 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Oct. 11, 2006
The Rice swim team opens its 2006-07 season Friday on the road against the University of Denver. The dual meet is slated for 5:30 pm (4:30 mountain time) at the El Pomar Natatorium on the Denver campus.
A year ago Rice went 5-5 in dual meets, including a win in the season-opener over the University of Houston, before finishing fourth at the Conference USA Championship meet their first year in the league. The Owls followed up their 2005-06 campaign with a successful summer. Four swimmers competed at the USA Senior Nationals and, for the first time ever, Rice Swimming had an athlete compete for the United States national team in an international meet.
Rice head coach Seth Huston stated that after all the training the team has done since the start of school the Owls may be ready for something new. It's not that the team is tired from training, but rather tired of only training. An actual meet against another team may be just the thing the Parliament needs.
"The team has done a good job training but I think what we really want to do now is get in and compete," Huston said. "They are looking forward to something new and this is a nice change. Hopefully we'll do some smart racing."
"We have a lot of newcomers in their first collegiate meet, and that's exciting," Huston added. "They've been getting after training and I like what I see out of them. I am looking forward to see them go."
Rice is facing Denver for the first time. The meet is also the season-opener for the Pioneers. Denver finished second in the Sun Belt Conference a year ago and returns another strong squad with 15 returning letterwinners. The Owls will again be without diving points in the meet scoring.
The Blue & Gray will remain in Colorado for three days after the meet to take advantage of some high-altitude training at the National Sports Center in Colorado Springs. Rice's first home swim meet of the season is slated for Oct. 27 against Conference USA rival SMU.