Swimming reveals upcoming season schedule
July 9, 2013
Chris Brooks
907-474-6805
2013-14 Schedule
Head coach Scott Lemley released the Alaska women's swimming schedule for the 2013-14 competition season, highlighted by its annual trip to the Husky Invitational, three dual-meet home weekends and a winter break trek to California, where the Nanooks will face six different squads.
“We're excited to be swimming against more teams in our conference this year,” Lemley said. “The biggest change in our competition schedule is our trip to Southern California in January.”
The year kicks off Oct. 12 with the annual Blue-Gold Pentathlon, in which each Nanook will compete in 100-yard races of the butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle and individual medley, as well as the 200 medley relay.
On Oct. 25 and 26, Alaska welcomes Biola to Fairbanks for a pair of dual meets to officially open the season. Two weekends later, on Nov. 8 and 9, the 'Nooks host Division I opponent Loyola Marymount at the Patty Center Pool. The 2013 calendar year wraps up Dec. 6-8 in Federal Way, Wash., as Alaska will again participate in the Husky Invitational, which is entering its 65th year.
Normally, the Nanooks spend early January at elevation in Flagstaff, Ariz., but this coming year, they will instead travel to California to train at outdoor facilities, which most of their conference opponents are well-versed in competing at.
“Our conference championship has been held in an outdoor pool the last two years ever since our normal venue at Belmont Plaza was condemned,” Lemley said. “That put us at a competitive disadvantage since the vast majority of the schools in our conference train outdoors year round. Next season we're not only going to be swimming against six teams when we're in Southern California (three of which are Division I teams) but we'll be training outdoors to prepare for our conference meet.”
Alaska opens up 2014 on Jan. 3 as it will face Pepperdine and LMU in Malibu in a tri-meet. The following afternoon, it will take on Biola and Fresno Pacific at a familiar venue in La Mirada, where the previous two PCSC Championships have been held. On Jan. 11, the training trip concludes with a quad meet in Bakersfield against Cal State Bakersfield, LMU and UC San Diego.
The final tune-up meets prior to the conference championship are Jan. 24 and 25 when the Nanooks are back at the Patty for a pair of duals against California Baptist. The 2014 PCSC Championship is set for Feb. 5-8 at the East Los Angeles College Aquatics Complex in Monterey Park, Calif.
Following conference, the Nanooks will look to add to their list of All-America swims at the 2014 NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championship, which will be held March 12-15 at the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio.
For more information, contact Chris Brooks at cpbrooks@alaska.edu.