Third-year head coach Chris Maiello announced his men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams’ 2015-16 schedule Tuesday, which includes a strong balance of home and road meets.
"Our schedule next season features a number of highlights, including hosting Minnesota, both South Dakota schools and local regulars St. Cloud State and MSUM,” Maiello said. “The Hyslop pool will see some great swimming and diving during the 2015-16 season.”
The season begins on Sept. 26 with the annual Green vs. White exhibition. The teams then open the regular season on Oct. 2 with a weekend meet featuring St. Cloud State and Minnesota State University Moorhead (women).
The green and white continue their home stand on Oct. 17 when UND hosts South Dakota State in a dual. This will be the seventh-consecutive season that UND battles the Jacks, with UND claiming at least one dual-win in five of the six previous seasons.
UND will then hit the road for the first time to Colorado Springs, Colo., to battle the Air Force Academy on Oct. 19. The Falcons (men) finished second in the WAC Championships last season while the women’s team finished sixth in the Mountain West Championships. Both Falcon teams defeated North Dakota in Grand Forks last season, as UND looks for its first-ever wins against the Academy.
“The team is also fortunate to be granted access to train at the USOTC in Colorado Springs, Colo. for a week in October in lead up to our USAFA dual meet,” Maiello said. “To get training time there during an Olympic year is special. It will be a unique experience for our athletes. We are really looking forward to it.”
North Dakota returns home for its rivalry weekend dual with Minnesota on Nov. 7. UND and Minnesota will battle for the fourth-consecutive season, with Minnesota claiming wins in the previous three seasons.
Following the dual with Minnesota, UND will visit its southern neighbors to battle South Dakota State (Nov. 20) and South Dakota (Nov. 21).
UND will wrap-up the 2015 portion of its season with a trip to Iowa City to compete in the Hawkeye Invite on Dec. 4-6. The invite features Notre Dame, Denver, Iowa, Milwaukee, and Washington State (women).
Coach Maiello recognizes the honor and challenge his teams will face when selected to participate in the Hawkeye Invite.
“We also feature our mid-season invite at the University of Iowa; their facility hosted the NCAA championships last season. The team is looking forward to competition at that world-class venue and competition. Strong Division 1 major conference teams often attend this meet. We will have our hands full there.”
North Dakota rings in 2016 with its annual training trip on Jan. 4 to Jan. 9 in St. Petersburg, Fla.
UND will return home to host South Dakota in a dual on Jan. 30 before heading to Minneapolis for the Minnesota Invite on Feb. 5-6.
One new change this season will be the venue for the WAC Championships. After taking place in San Antonio for the previous years, the Championships switch the Houston for the 2015-16 season.
“This change is great for our conference and will help our athletes reach their competitive potential,” Maiello said on the location change. The WAC Championships will take place Feb. 23-27.
The NCAA Zone Diving meet competes Mar. 7-9 in Iowa City, Iowa while the NCAA Championships are set in Atlanta, Georgia on Mar. 16-18 for the women and Mar. 24-26 for the men.
UND will enter 2015-16 following an impressive season that saw the women finish with a 12-5 dual record and a seventh place finish at the WAC Championships; while the men finished with a 6-6 dual record and a sixth place finish at the WAC Championships.
