Duke Blue Devils Release 2016-2017 Schedule

Photo Courtesy: Reagan Lunn

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke University head swimming and diving coach Dan Colella announced Tuesday the Blue Devils’ 2016-17 schedule, highlighted by three regular season meets at home in Taishoff Aquatics Pavilion. The demanding slate features dual meets against opponents from six different conferences, including five ACC squads, two teams from the Big Ten and one each from the Big 12 and SEC.

Duke’s three home dates in 2016-17 include meetings with the Northwestern men, NC State women and full squads from both South Carolina and Virginia. The Blue Devils’ road schedule includes a trip to Tallahassee, Fla., for the first time since 1993, as well as a quad meet in Blacksburg, Va.

“This year’s schedule features a great mix of schools from several different conferences,” Colella said. “Every weekend of competition will test us, from our opening meet against Florida State and Minnesota to our last dual meet against crosstown rival North Carolina. We are looking forward to the challenge and providing these institutions with fierce competition.”

The Duke men and women begin the season Oct. 8 in Tallahassee at Florida State’s Morcom Aquatics Center. Both Blue Devil teams posted regular season victories over the Seminoles last season at home in Durham, with the women winning by a 184-110 margin and the men by a 164-129 score. The Oct. 8 date will also see both squads take on Minnesota for the first time in program history.

Later in the month, Duke heads to Blacksburg, Va., to face Virginia Tech, West Virginia and William & Mary in a quad meet. The next weekend will see the Blue Devils host the Northwestern men and NC State women in the home opener at Taishoff. Duke and the Wildcat men will meet for the first time, while the Wolfpack women will make the short trip to Durham after finishing second at ACCs and ninth at NCAAs last season.

The Duke program rounds out the fall with a pair of in-state meets, competing at the NC State Invitational Nov. 17-19 in Greensboro before visiting Queens University in Charlotte Dec. 3.

The teams kick off the new year with a two-week homestand in Durham. SEC foe South Carolina visits Taishoff Jan. 14 in non-conference action while Virginia heads south for an ACC matchup the following weekend. The Blue Devils recorded a sweep of the Gamecocks last January in Columbia, with the men collecting their first win over South Carolina since 2009. Meanwhile, Duke and Virginia will go head-to-head in the regular season for the first time since 2014.

Duke will wrap up the regular season at North Carolina the final weekend of January and return to Chapel Hill Feb. 3-5 for the Janis Hape Dowd Nike Cup.

The ACC Championships will be held at the Greensboro Aquatic Center for the second straight year and third time in the past four seasons. The Blue Devil women and divers take their turn at ACCs Feb. 15-18, followed by the men’s swimmers Feb. 22-25.

Duke’s divers will vie for NCAA Championships berths at the NCAA Zone B Diving Championships in early March. Both NCAA meets will be contested at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis, with the women competing March 15-18 and the men March 22-25.

The Blue Devils will look to send athletes to the NCAA Championships for the ninth consecutive season in 2017. The men’s team came away with five honorable mention All-America honors at last year’s meet, as Kaz Takabayashi, Peter Kropp, David Armstrong and James Peek took 14th in the 200-yard medley relay and diver Evan Moretti earned a spot in the 3-meter consolation final as a rookie. The performances placed Duke 39th overall.

On the women’s side, the Blue Devils were represented by seven swimmers at the national meet, qualifying four in individual events and competing in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays.

The 2015-16 campaign also saw both the men’s and women’s teams enter the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) national rankings for the first time in program history.

Duke University contributed this report.

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