The Georgetown men’s and women’s swimming teams will kick off their seasons today with the Potomac Relay Invitational against American, George Washington, Catholic and the women’s squad from Navy.

“It’s something to get us ready and get a little glimpse of where we’re at,” Head Coach Bethany Bower said. “It’s a lot of local teams getting together, swimming hard and having fun.”

The Hoyas look to build on last year’s season as they lost several record holders and team leaders to graduation. However, this will not be a huge problem, according to Bower.

“I believe, with the enthusiasm and the talent we have in the pool right now, those losses will be made up for quickly,” she said.

This fall, Georgetown is most pleased by the expansion of its diving team. In addition to junior Allison Linden and sophomore Brett Daggett, the Hoyas welcome three female divers, Tara Baird, Kathryn Harrison and Juliana Bonilla, who boasts experience in both the springboard and platform events. Freshman Michael Kizer will also join the roster, giving Georgetown its largest diving squad in recent history. In the past, the Hoyas have lost a lot of points in the four diving events, mainly due to the lack of competitors.

The women’s swim team, which lacks a single senior on its roster this season, will be led by junior captains Caragh Moynihan, Kylie Cooper and Amanda Anderson. Last season, the Hoyas took 10th place at the Big East Championships, finishing with a 7-6 record. Freshmen Colleen Newman and Erin Kehoe will help extend Georgetown’s depth in the distance and middle distance events. The Hoyas will look for a solid sprinter in freshman Christine Costello.

On the men’s side, senior captains Mike Weiss, Rich Dennis and Brendan Daly will guide a stronger Hoyas squad after a 3-8 record and 11th place finish at last year’s Big East Championships. Freshmen Edmund Caulfield and Shodai Enters have both already established themselves in practice. Caulfield has proved strong in the distance and middle distance freestyle events, and Enters, a native of Japan, has also surprised Bower.

“He’s already setting a standard well above what I expected,” Bower said.

Georgetown aims to make another strong showing at the Big East Championships. However, the Hoyas’ goal might not be so easily attainable. This marks the first year the Big East will impose qualifying standards for the championships. Rather than bringing the top 17 swimmers on each squad, Bower can only send those who meet the cut times to the conference meet. This method is the first of its kind in the entire nation.

For now, the Hoyas are focusing on their training and gearing up for the George Mason Invitational which will be held the first weekend in December. The rest of their schedule includes Big East rivals Seton Hall, Providence, Boston College and Connecticut as well as SUNY-Binghamton, which just moved up to Division I. According to Bower, Georgetown will face some good competition, some it can stay with, but also some that will pose a challenge.

Another notable stop on the Hoyas’ schedule includes a training trip to Puerto Rico during winter break to get ready for the second half of the season. Although it sounds like a vacation, Bower assures this is not quite accurate.

“It sounds glamorous, but it’s a tough training program. The team sacrifices a lot of free time,” she said.

For now, the Hoyas look to remain focused and enthusiastic.

“I think, overall, we are a stronger team [than last year]. We are much more spirited in the water and the atmosphere is more energetic. I think that is going to contribute to our success,” Bower said.

Georgetown will race in the Potomac Relay Invitational today at 5 p.m. in Yates Field House. The Hoyas’ first dual meet will be at home Saturday, Oct. 21, at 1 p.m. against Binghamton.