Craig Nisgor, head coach of the Seattle University men’s and women’s swim teams, has finalized the program’s competition schedule for the 2015-16 season.
The Redhawks open the dual meet schedule at home Thursday evening, Oct. 15, with the women facing Northern Colorado and both squads taking on long-time rival Simon Fraser. Two days later, the program will welcome back its past swimmers for the annual Alumni Meet Saturday, Oct. 17, starting at 11 a.m.
Seattle U travels to Arizona to face conference foe Grand Canyon, with the women also taking on Loyola Marymount, in back-to-back meets Friday, Oct. 23, and Saturday, Oct. 24. The Redhawk women welcome Idaho to the Connolly Center Pool Saturday, Nov. 7, starting at 1 p.m., and Washington State Saturday, Dec. 5, beginning at 12 noon.
Those Redhawks who meet USA Swimming qualifying standards will compete at the AT&T Winter National Championships at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Wash., Dec. 3-5. Nisgor also plans to enter at least some of his swimmers in the Short Course Invitational that will take place Sunday, Dec. 6, also in Federal Way.
After fall quarter final exams, the team will head to Coronado Island, Calif., for a week of winter training Dec. 13-18. The Redhawks start 2016 with a road trip across the state to Spokane, Wash., for back-to-back dual meets against Whitworth University Friday night, Jan. 8, and Saturday afternoon, Jan. 9.
Seattle U returns to Colorado Springs, Colo., for consecutive meets against Air Force and South Dakota Friday, Jan. 15, and Saturday, Jan. 16. The Redhawks will head back to Federal Way for the 67th Husky Invitational, this year taking place Jan. 22-24 and featuring a format of short course preliminaries and long course finals to give competitors a chance to qualify for both NCAA Championships and Olympic Trials.
The Redhawks return to the Connolly Center Pool for a rematch with Simon Fraser Saturday, Jan. 30, starting at 12 noon, with Senior Day ceremonies to take place before the meet.
The Western Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championships remain in Texas, but have moved to the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center (CRWC) Natatorium on the campus of the University of Houston. The conference meet will take place Feb. 24-27, 2016, with Seattle U looking to continue its improvement at the league championships.
If anyone qualifies, the USA Swimming/Speedo Sectional Meet will take place March 10-13 at the King County Aquatic Center, while both the NCAA Division I Women’s (March 17-19) and Men’s (March 24-26) Swimming and Diving Championships will be held at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center in Atlanta, Ga.
The Seattle University swim team will report to campus in mid-September to begin preparations for the 2015-16 season. Members of the Seattle U swim team are once again raising money for cancer research by participating in Swim Across America, with the Lake Washington Open Water Swim taking place Saturday, Sept. 12, at Luther Burbank Park in Mercer Island, Wash.