West Virginia University Announces Schedule For 2018-19 Season

University of Michigan junior Marie Georger, touches the wall Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015, at the Orange Bowl Swimming Classic in Key Largo, Fla. Michigan placed first in the women's division while West Virginia University won the men's division. The event, staged at the Jacobs Aquatic Center, was the highlight of the winter collegiate swimming training season in the Florida Keys. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Stephen Frink/Florida Keys News Bureau/HO)

Photo Courtesy: Stephen Frink

West Virginia University Director of Athletics Shane Lyons announced the 2018-19 men’s and women’s swimming and diving schedule on Monday.

The schedule features three meets at the WVU Natatorium, which will serve as the home of the Mountaineers for the final time this season. WVU kicks off the campaign with the annual Gold-Blue Meet before hosting a regular-season competition against Seton Hall and Xavier, as well a Senior Day matchup against Big 12 Conference foe TCU.

On the road, Mountaineer swimmers will travel to the West Virginia State Games and the Ohio State Invitational. The team also will compete in road dual-meets at Villanova, Pitt, Penn State (men only) and Iowa State (women only).

Additionally, WVU divers will compete at the Navy Diving Invitational in preparation for the 2019 NCAA Zone A Diving Championships in Annapolis, Maryland.

“This year’s schedule gives the teams a good set of challenges each meet,” said WVU coach Vic Riggs, who is entering his 12th season at the helm in 2018-19. “October will give us the first opportunities to see how the teams are coming together with two road challenges. The Ohio State Invitational and Winter Nationals will help us prepare for NCAAs.

“I’m excited to add Penn State for the men. That will give them a good opportunity to compete on the road against a strong team. Having Pitt, TCU and Iowa State is always exciting for our programs.”

The Mountaineers’ season opens with the Gold-Blue Meet on Saturday, Sept. 29. Regular-season action begins two weeks later with the West Virginia State Games, a two-day competition featuring swimming and diving programs from around the Mountain State, from Oct. 12-13, in Huntington, West Virginia.

WVU returns home for a tri-meet against Seton Hall and Xavier, from Oct. 19-20.

Following a trip to Villanova on Saturday, Oct. 27, the Mountaineers will split for two mid-season meets. For the second consecutive season, WVU swimmers will compete at the Ohio State Invitational, from Nov. 15-17, in Columbus, Ohio. The diving team heads to Annapolis to compete at the Navy Diving Invitational on the same dates.

USA Swimming’s Winter Nationals are set to begin on Wednesday, Nov. 28, in Greensboro, North Carolina, and continue through Saturday, Dec. 1. Three Mountaineer swimmers, senior Jake Armstrong, junior Morgan Bullock and sophomore David Dixon, qualified for the 2018 Phillips 66 National Championships in July.

As the calendar flips to January, WVU again hits the road to take on rival Pitt on Saturday, Jan. 5, in Pittsburgh. A week later, the teams return home for the final meet in WVU Natatorium history on Saturday, Jan. 12. The Mountaineers will host TCU for a Big 12 dual meet on Senior Day.

From there, the Mountaineer men’s team travels to University Park, Pennsylvania, to battle Penn State in dual-meet action on Friday, Jan. 18. The women’s team concludes the regular season with a trip to Iowa State on Saturday, Jan. 26. WVU defeated the Cyclones in 2017-18, marking the program’s first win over Iowa State.

Postseason competition begins with the 2018 Big 12 Championship, from Feb. 27-March 2, in Austin, Texas. The Mountaineers will return to the conference meet after posting a pair of second-place team finishes last season. WVU also won a pair of individual Big 12 championships at the meet, as Armstrong defended his 100-breaststroke title, while redshirt senior Tristen Di Sibio won the 200 breaststroke.

The 2019 NCAA Zone A Diving Championship is set for March 11-13, in Annapolis, Maryland, before the 2019 NCAA Women’s Championships commence from March 20-23, in Austin. The 2019 NCAA Men’s Championships are set for a week later, March 27-30, in Austin.

Two Mountaineers earned honorable mention All-America honors at the NCAA Meets last season, as Armstrong (100 breast) and Bullock (200 butterfly) each placed in the top 16 of their events.

The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with West Virginia Athletics. For press releases and advertising inquiries please contact Advertising@SwimmingWorld.com.

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