Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

SWIMMING & DIVING | First Meets Will Test Inexperienced Squad

This weekend, the Blue and Gray will dive into their first competitive meets of the season at Friday’s Potomac Relays in Washington, D.C., and in enemy waters Saturday at Delaware. Back-to-back meets should provide the Hoyas with good preparation for their ultimate goal: February’s four-day Big East championship meet.

“We’re going to swim the whole team on both days. I scheduled this on purpose,” third-year Head Coach Jamie Holder said. “At the Big East championships, we’re going to have to swim multiple days. It’s a good experience to swim at night and then get up in the morning and swim again.”

The Potomac Relays, which will be hosted at Georgetown’s McCarthy Pool for diving events and at American University for swimming events, will give the Hoyas the opportunity to compete against local rivals such as George Washington, George Mason, American, Mary Washington, Howard and Mount St. Mary’s. Georgetown must also compete against these local rivals outside of the pool on the recruiting circuit.

“I’m not too worried about the wins or losses right now. I expect to put our best foot forward and build a competitive starting point,” Holder said. “I’m definitely not going to be disappointed with anything that happens. It’s a building process and we are only going up from here.”

In last year’s Potomac Relays, the Georgetown women swam well, winning three and placing in second in six of the 18 total events, while the men did not participate. The Hoyas did not have equal success when they travelled to Delaware a year ago, when the men fell 209-88 and the women lost 223-77.

“Delaware is a good team. We won a few events last year, but I would like to win a few more this time around,” Holder said. “It will be exciting to see what our freshmen can do. This team just wants to get out and race, swim with pride and get excited for each other.”

The first meets of the season are especially important for Holder’s team, which has twice as many freshmen as seniors. The Potomac Relays offer the Hoyas their only chance to experience a big college meet with seven teams.

“I try to tell them to get up and race; it’s not anything really different other than college swimming is a much more team oriented thing,” Holder said about his large freshman class. “Seniors are the leaders even though they are light in numbers. Overall, I’m proud of the leadership were developing throughout the program, sophomores and junior are stepping up as big leaders as well.”

Georgetown swimming will have to travel a little more than two miles up Foxhall Road to arrive at American for the Potomac Relays. Saturday’s challenge will then be a quick turnaround of about 100 miles for the 1 p.m. matchup with Delaware.

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