Swimcloud

Preview: Sun Belt

The 2011 Sun Belt Conference Swimming & Diving Championships are set for Feb. 23-26 with North Texas hosting the event for the first time in program history at the Rockwall Aquatics Center of Excellence in Rockwall, Texas.
 
The Western Kentucky’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams enter the 2011 SBC Swimming and Diving Championships as reigning champions and will look to defend their titles. The Lady Toppers will look to claim their fourth consecutive title and ninth in program history while the men can claim their second championship since 2007. Both the men’s and women’s teams are ranked seventh in the CollegeSwimming.com/CSCAA Division I Mid-Major Poll released Dec. 15, 2010.
 
The UALR swimming and diving team enters the Sun Belt Championships on the heels of a regular season that saw the Trojans go 3-2 in dual meets and finish in the top three of four different invitationals. Individually, UALR has a number of swimmers, including Amber Kelly, Holly Myers and Kara Raney that currently rank in the top 20 of the Sun Belt in their respective events.
 
The Pioneers men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams have had a strong season this year, taking home several first place wins and consistently having representation on the podium.  Denver has four athletes ranked nationally in the top 50.
 
The Florida Atlantic men’s team will be looking to build off last year’s fourth-place finish, marking the team’s highest finish since joining the Sun Belt Conference.  The Owls have been honored by the Avidasports Performance as the seventh top performing team during the competing month of December. The FAU women are coming off a dominating performance in its last dual meet when it won all 16 events against Daytona Beach State College.
 
FIU freshman Sabrina Beaupre got her college career off to a fantastic start breaking the FIU and Bay Vista Aquatics Complex 1-Meter diving record on Oct. 16 against North Florida. Beaupre scored 295.72 points to break both records held by former FIU diver Megan Balkenbush in 2005. At the Miami (Ohio) Invitational in early December, the 200 Free Relay team and the 800 Free Relay teams set new FIU standards.
 
North Texas has finished 3rd in the last two Sun Belt Championship Meets, the highest finishes ever for the Mean Green, and are looking to improve upon that finish with home pool advantage and rank of 12th nationally among mid-majors. This season, North Texas has had two divers, Mary Beth Geeze and Delia Covo, qualify for the NCAA Zone Meet, the first time North Texas has had multiple divers qualify, and the first time any diver qualified since 2003.

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