Meet of the Week, Preview: Navy at Army

By Jason Marsteller

PHOENIX, Arizona, December 2. THIS weekend, the SwimmingWorldMagazine.com Meet of the Week program sets its sights on West Point, N.Y., for the always exciting annual match-up between Army and Navy.

Here is a quick preview of the match-up:

Date and Time: Thursday, December 4, 2008 at 3:45 p.m.
Location: West Point, N.Y.
Facility: Crandall Pool

Navy's Last Time Out:
The Navy women completed the Terrapin Invitational with a sixth-place finish with 326 points. Homestanding Maryland topped the meet with 787 points. Meanwhile, the men triumphed over Dartmouth, 179-110.

Looking forward with Navy's head men's coach Bill Roberts:
We aim to do our very best each time we compete against every opponent we face. Though the Army-Navy meet will be no different in terms of our approach to it, this one is very, very important.

This is a meet that is on the minds of the athletes for some time. Especially for the first class midshipmen (seniors), it is one of the events that they look forward to for many years; the chance to lead the team in their final season as we compete in this rivalry.

You could write a book about this meet with each contest making up a new chapter. Every person ever affiliated with this meet and rivalry can provide multiple stories from their perspective. As a coach, I admire and love the effort that goes into the meet. As a fan of college swimming and diving, I love the stories and history that surrounds this event.

Looking forward with Navy's head women's coach John Morrison:
Army vs. Navy is the greatest rivalry in sports. The emotion and excitement that exists when our schools are in competition against the other is tremendous. With the pressure of winning comes spectacular performances, and in the end wonderful camaraderie amongst the soon-to-be leaders of our military and country. Simply put… Army-Navy is awesome.

While all competitions against Army are fierce, the hype and pageantry of football highlights the competitive series between the schools. Every midshipman and cadet is thinking of Army-Navy during this week. Every military family, soldier, sailor, and marine around the globe are watching, hearing and cheering for their team. Having our meet take place within the Army-Navy football week yields a heightened expectation and anticipation from our teams, and our teams will deliver their finest performances.

This meet means everything to our team and program. When our student-athletes graduate and are serving our great country, their fellow compatriots will ask them one question about their time as a swimmer or diver at the Academy … "Did you beat Army?" Our goal is to keep the answer, "Yes."

Army's Last Time Out:
The Army men and women split with Columbia on Nov. 23 as the men took a 160-135 victory and the women fell 188-106.

Looking forward with Army's head coach Mickey Wender:
We are building a very solid foundation with our team- in and out of the pool and I know we will do some great things in the years to come. Our athletes are working very hard and getting better every week. They are committed to each other and their team goals and it's a fun group to be around. I know we will swim fast next week and I am already proud of our team- win lose or draw.

Navy has a strong tradition and has dominated the rivalry for several years. I have the utmost respect for the caliber of athletes they have in their program. They do an amazing job in recruiting and we looking forward to the challenge that this event represents.

MOTW, Navy at Army

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