The Georgetown swimming and diving teams hope to bounce back from a heartbreaking loss to rival George Washington and end the season on a high note at Maryland this Saturday.

Maryland is one of Georgetown’s most formidable rivals this season, as the men’s team has reeled off four wins in their last five dual meets and the women ranked 22nd in the CSCAA top-25 poll.

But the Blue and Gray will not just be trying to score some wins against the Terrapins, one of the top swimming programs in the country. The Hoyas’ larger goal will be to record more times that will qualify for the Big East championship.

“For most of us, the whole point is to get the last couple guys to make the Big East cuts. That’s really what this meet has been about since the beginning, since I’ve started swimming here, because Maryland’s a fast team. … They’re way better than us,” junior Paul Quincy said. “It’s the last chance to get a good swim in before the final meet.”

With four men and at least three women looking to qualify, Head Coach Jamie Holder knows that this meet is critical for his team.

“Basically, it’s sort of a last opportunity for anybody to get their races in before [the] Big East [championship],” Holder said. “I’m not that concerned with beating Maryland, because their team is very strong. It’s more of a tune-up for [the] Big East [championship], and we’re trying to focus on what we’re doing at that meet in two and a half weeks.”

Holder’s strategy will be to rest most of his swimmers and allow those who haven’t made Big East cuts to make their final attempts. The regular season has had both highs and lows, but the Blue and Gray are focused on the postseason.

“The regular season was a good lead-up, but it all comes down to what happens in the Big East. Last year we almost wiped the record board clean on both the men’s and women’s sides, so I’m really looking forward to seeing — we’ve got a great freshmen class — what they can pull off,” Quincy said. “For the old kids, it’s always fun to go back and give it another shot.”

Georgetown also feels good about where their training puts them in the leadup to the Big East championship.

“As far as preparation, I’m pretty happy with how [we’ve] done this whole year. Our dual meet record I don’t think really reflects the team that we are, and I think we’re going to show how good we can be at [the] Big East [championship],” Holder said. “I think from top to bottom we’ve done a really good job this year. I think [we’ll] be ready.”

The meet will take place at 1 p.m. this Saturday at the Eppley Recreation Center Natatorium at College Park, Md.