Thursday, March 12
Cleveland, OH
All Day
Rice University
vs
CSCAA National Invitational
Photo by: Tommy Lavergne
Rice Ready To Rock Cleveland At National Invitational
3/10/2020 4:41:00 PM | Swimming & Diving
Owls Look For Season Best Marks At "Swimming NIT"
National Invitational Home Page
The Rice swim team is sending 12 Owls to the Collegiate Swim Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) National Invitational March 12-14 in Cleveland, Ohio. Student-athletes from more than 40 women's and men's teams from across the country are competing at the meet that has the popular but unofficial nickname of "Swimming NIT."
The CSCAA National Invitational was held for the first time in 2014 in Rockwall, Texas, with Rice winning the inaugural meet title. The Invitational was held again in 2015 where the Owls finished second overall, but was not part of the collegiate schedule in 2016 nor 2017. The event returned in 2018 and the Blue & Gray finished second at the meet in each of the last two seasons.
Head coach Seth Huston, on the verge of completing his 18th season at the helm of the Rice program, explained that even though the Owls have been consistent in posting second place finishes each year is quite different. The one constant, as Huston sees it, is that when it's a national meet the swimmers have to be at their best.
"Each year is a reset," Huston said. "The meet looks a little bigger this year and has many more power five schools entered. Duplicating or improving our entry times will bode well for us in placing at this meet. We have a lot of top 20 entry times. Kate Nezelek and Marta Cano-Minarro are seeded well. Getting our relays on the podium, and placing close to the top three consistently, will play a big part in our team score."
The Invitational is open to all men's and women's Division I programs (and programs reclassifying to Division I), and the programs must be current members of the CSCAA. Individuals and relays may qualify for the meet by winning their respective event(s) at their official collegiate conference championship, or meeting the CSCAA's established qualifying standard(s).
The meet features 22 swim events over the three days, divided into morning preliminary races and evening finals. The schedule of events held at the Cleveland State Natatorium is as follows:
Thursday, March 14; Sessions at 8:30 a.m. & 5 p.m. (Central Time)
200 Free Relay
50 Butterfly
50 Breaststroke
500 Freestyle
50 Backstroke
200 Individual Medley
50 Freestyle
400 Medley Relay
Friday, March 15; Sessions at 8:30 a.m. & 5 p.m. (Central Time)
200 Medley Relay
400 Individual Medley
100 Butterfly
200 Freestyle
100 Breaststroke
100 Backstroke
800 Freestyle Relay
Saturday, March 16; Sessions at 8:30 a.m. & 5 p.m. (Central Time)
1650 Freestyle
100 Individual Medley
200 Backstroke
100 Freestyle
200 Breaststroke
200 Butterfly
400 Freestyle Relay
CSCAA Invitational Fun Fact! In addition to winning the inaugural National Invitational title in 2014, Rice still holds the meet record in the 400-free relay (3:21.60).
The Rice swim team is sending 12 Owls to the Collegiate Swim Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) National Invitational March 12-14 in Cleveland, Ohio. Student-athletes from more than 40 women's and men's teams from across the country are competing at the meet that has the popular but unofficial nickname of "Swimming NIT."
The CSCAA National Invitational was held for the first time in 2014 in Rockwall, Texas, with Rice winning the inaugural meet title. The Invitational was held again in 2015 where the Owls finished second overall, but was not part of the collegiate schedule in 2016 nor 2017. The event returned in 2018 and the Blue & Gray finished second at the meet in each of the last two seasons.
Head coach Seth Huston, on the verge of completing his 18th season at the helm of the Rice program, explained that even though the Owls have been consistent in posting second place finishes each year is quite different. The one constant, as Huston sees it, is that when it's a national meet the swimmers have to be at their best.
"Each year is a reset," Huston said. "The meet looks a little bigger this year and has many more power five schools entered. Duplicating or improving our entry times will bode well for us in placing at this meet. We have a lot of top 20 entry times. Kate Nezelek and Marta Cano-Minarro are seeded well. Getting our relays on the podium, and placing close to the top three consistently, will play a big part in our team score."
The Invitational is open to all men's and women's Division I programs (and programs reclassifying to Division I), and the programs must be current members of the CSCAA. Individuals and relays may qualify for the meet by winning their respective event(s) at their official collegiate conference championship, or meeting the CSCAA's established qualifying standard(s).
The meet features 22 swim events over the three days, divided into morning preliminary races and evening finals. The schedule of events held at the Cleveland State Natatorium is as follows:
Thursday, March 14; Sessions at 8:30 a.m. & 5 p.m. (Central Time)
200 Free Relay
50 Butterfly
50 Breaststroke
500 Freestyle
50 Backstroke
200 Individual Medley
50 Freestyle
400 Medley Relay
Friday, March 15; Sessions at 8:30 a.m. & 5 p.m. (Central Time)
200 Medley Relay
400 Individual Medley
100 Butterfly
200 Freestyle
100 Breaststroke
100 Backstroke
800 Freestyle Relay
Saturday, March 16; Sessions at 8:30 a.m. & 5 p.m. (Central Time)
1650 Freestyle
100 Individual Medley
200 Backstroke
100 Freestyle
200 Breaststroke
200 Butterfly
400 Freestyle Relay
CSCAA Invitational Fun Fact! In addition to winning the inaugural National Invitational title in 2014, Rice still holds the meet record in the 400-free relay (3:21.60).
Players Mentioned
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