Home meets against LSU, West Florida and North Texas in the Reily Student Recreation Center Natatorium as well a trip to Coral Gables, Fla., highlight the 2014-15 Tulane University swimming and diving, Green Wave head coach Katie Robinson announced Wednesday.
The upcoming season marks a new era in Tulane Athletics as the Wave will begin their first year as members of the American Athletic Conference. In the final year in Conference USA during the 2013-14 academic calendar, Tulane posted pair of dual-meet victories and finished sixth in the C-USA Championship meet with 463 points.
The team’s point total at the C-USA meet was 90 more than the previous year, the third-highest total by the program in a conference championship and the most since the Tulane scored 729 en route to winning the 2005 C-USA crown. During the meet, the Green Wave posted 35 season-best times, 22 career-best marks and four school records.
“I believe this schedule fulfills our needs as we continue to grow and develop as a team,” Robinson said. “We will be seeing a few familiar foes in Houston, North Texas, Rice, LSU, Vanderbilt and West Florida. These teams bring tough competition to the table and we look to gauge our improvement from last year to this year. New teams on our schedule include TCU, Western Kentucky, Miami and Rutgers. I am excited to have our women step up to these new teams and take advantage of great racing opportunities.”
The Green Wave open the season on Sept. 26 with the North Texas Relays in Southlake, Texas, where Tulane will square off against Houston, SMU and host North Texas in a series. From there, the Wave will remain in the Lone Star State for a Sept. 27 showdown at TCU before opening the home portion of the schedule against LSU on Oct. 3.
Tulane’s next meet will be a home contest against West Florida on Nov. 1 and the Green Wave will travel to Nashville, Tenn., for a double-dual meet against Western Kentucky and host Vanderbilt on Nov. 8 before closing out the fall slate with a multiple-team tournament in Pearland, Texas, from Nov. 21-23.
Following a one-month break, Tulane will open spring-semester action on Jan. 10 when they travel to the Sunshine State for a twin-bill against Rutgers and host Miami before hosting North Texas on Jan. 24and closing out the regular season with a quad meet against Houston, Rice and host LSU on Jan. 30-31 in Baton Rouge, La.
The 2014 American Athletic Conference Championship is slated to run from Feb. 18-21 in Greensboro, N.C., and the NCAA Championship will be held at the University of Minnesota from March 19-21.
“We are absolutely looking forward to joining the American Athletic Conference this year,” Robinson added. “This is an outstanding challenge for our team and one in which Tulane will thrive. I believe these challenges will mature, encourage and stretch our student-athletes to new heights and standards of achievement in the athletic realm making achievement that much sweeter.”
Last year saw then-freshman Ellie Sills claim C-USA Freshman of the Year honors, rising junior Mia Schachter posted three NCAA B-Cut standard marks and was invited to participate in the 2014 Phillips 66 National Championships, rising junior Lauren Arnold earned a spot in the NCAA Zone Diving Meet, and the Green Wave were claimed Scholar All-America status from the College Swimming Coaches Association of America after posting a cumulative 3.53 GPA during the spring semester.
The Green Wave are scheduled to return 17-of-21 letterwinners from the 2013-14 squad. In addition to Arnold, Schachter and Sills, Tulane welcomes back the talents of rising seniors Molly Jubas, Morgan Evans, Vanessa Loewen, Amy Needham, Claire Schelske and Laura Turpen, rising juniors Elizabeth Cook, Holly Grender, Maren Kjell, Roni Meyer and Rachel Schneider and rising sophomores Jonna Frantz, Joy Jason and Ali Talwar. Joining the team as true freshman this season are Alex Brindisi, Alex Lakota, Emma Lincoln, Tirol Palmer and Kaitlin Simpson.
