By Jordan Ozer
With the regular season for swimming and diving concluded, teams across The American will descend upon Louisville, Ky. for the inaugural American Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championships.
Four men’s teams and six women’s squads will compete for the conference title at the Ralph Wright Natatorium beginning on Wednesday. Cincinnati, UConn, Louisville and SMU will send teams of both genders, while Houston and Rutgers are represented by their women’s teams.
Four days of competition begin on Wednesday, with the event following the format of morning preliminaries and evening finals. Tickets are still on sale here.
The host Louisville squad enters the championships nationally ranked on both the men’s and women’s side. The women’s team is No. 13 in the nation, while the men’s squad is No. 15. The Cardinals captured 15 of a possible 22 American Player of the Week awards in the regular season, with Cincinnati garnering the second most with four.
Swimmers to Watch
Jackie Keire, Cincinnati – The freshman had a stellar debut campaign for the Bearcats. She captured Female Swimmer of the week four times, and enters the championship with the conference's top time in the 100 free (48.52), 200 free (1:45.38) and 500 free (4:41.33).
Lachezar Shumkov, UConn – The Sofia, Bulgaria native was the lone Huskie to earn Player of the Week recognition this season, and will be a swimmer to watch in the 1500-yard breaststroke.
Laykin Lowry, Houston – The senior is a key in the butterfly for the Cougars, and will look to lead a Houston squad that recorded a 5-5 dual record in the spring.
Joao De Lucca, Louisville – A former Olympian, De Lucca is the star for a talented Louisville men’s squad. After a stellar junior season in which he was crowned the NCAA Champion in the 200-yard freestyle, he captured a conference-best six Swimmer of the Week awards during the regular season. He will be looking to build on numerous NCAA cut times at the conference meet.
Devin Burnett, SMU – The lone diver to capture a weekly honor this season, the junior is strong on both the one-meter and three-meter boards, as well as the platform dive. His performance will be key for a Mustangs program that has won 16 conference championships in the past 17 years in three difference conferences prior to entering The American.
Mary Moser, Rutgers – A senior captain for the Scarlet Knights, Moser had a strong final collegiate season in the freestyle events, and will be a threat to watch at the Championships.
Full coverage of the Championships will be on TheAmerican.org/SwimDive on the Championship Central Page. Fans can also follow the championship on twitter @American_Champs and using the #AmericanSD hashtag. The American Digital Network will be providing a free live stream of the finals each day at TheAmerican.org/DN.
