Ohio State men’s swimming head coach Bill Wadley and diving head coach Justin Sochor announced the program’s 2015-16 competition slate on Monday. The competitive schedule encompasses 12 home events, including the Ohio State Invitational Nov. 20-22.
Per tradition, the Buckeyes will kick off the season with the Scarlet vs. Gray exhibition meet on Friday, Oct. 9 at McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion. The team will return the following day for the Alumni vs. Varsity showdown. The weekend, which coincides with the Ohio State homecoming football game against Maryland, was initiated to connect current student-athletes with alumni and friends of the Buckeye program. October will then wrap up with a home dual vs. the Kenyon Lords Oct. 30.
The month of November commences with another in-state matchup in Columbus, this time vs. Denison (Nov. 6). The Buckeyes then face a series of quick turnaround duals against Cleveland State (Nov. 12) and Miami (Nov. 13) at home before traveling to Ypisilanti, Mich., to face Eastern Michigan (Nov. 14). The always-competitive Ohio State Invitational is scheduled for Nov. 20-22 and will feature Florida, Kentucky, Notre Dame, Washington State, Kenyon and Arkansas.
Ohio State will be on hiatus during the month of December from dual meet competition, but the Scarlet and Gray will take part in the USA Swimming Nationals Dec. 3-5 in Federal Way, Wash.
Following winter training, the Buckeyes will return to McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion for a two-day, Big Ten dual against Michigan State Jan. 15-16. Last season, the pair met in East Lansing, Mich., and Ohio State came away with a 168-75 win. The Scarlet and Gray will next take on Kentucky at home (Jan. 29) before hosting a quad meet vs. Michigan, West Virginia and Buffalo on Jan. 30 – also at McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion.
Before turning their attention to the postseason, the Buckeyes will welcome Wright State on Feb. 5 and host the Ohio State Winter Invite Feb. 13-15.
The 2015 Big Ten Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships will take place Feb. 24-28 in West Lafayette, Ind., on the campus of Purdue University. The NCAA Last Chance Meet is scheduled for March 6 in Columbus. Qualified swimmers and divers then have the opportunity to travel to the 2015 NCAA Championships, taking place March 22-27 in Atlanta, Ga.
Aside from the collegiate competition slate, Ohio State men’s swimmers will also have the opportunity to train heavily for the United States Olympic Trials June 26 – July 3. A series of Arena Pro Swim meets are scheduled throughout the academic calendar year, including offerings in Minneapolis (Nov. 12-14), Austin (Jan. 15-17), Columbia (Feb. 12-14), Orlando (March 3-5), Mesa (April 14-16) and Indianapolis (June 2-5).
Last season, Ohio State placed second at the Big Ten championships as two individuals, Matt McHugh and Josh Fleagle, took home individual conference crowns. The team registered a dual meet record of 12-1 and qualified 13 team members for the NCAA championships. Ultimately, the Buckeyes finished 16th at NCAAs.
