Coming off the program’s second-straight Conference USA crown, Head Coach Randy Horner announced the FIU swimming and diving team’s 2016-17 schedule on Wednesday.
The Panthers, which registered the most-decisive victory in C-USA Championship history last season, begin their quest for a third-straight championships on Sept. 30 at the University of Miami.
"We have a good mix of challenges this season,” Horner said. “We open up against our cross town rival Miami before heading out on the road for a very competitive field at this year’s Dual-A-Palooza. The Louisville Invite is a new meet to us and should be a good challenge to post some mid-season times. Everything will be focused to prepare us to defend our C-USA title and prepare for the NCAA's in March."
In all, FIU will compete in 11 meets with seven taking place at the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center.
After traveling to Houston, Texas, to take part in Dual-A-Palooza (Oct. 14-15) which features a challenging field in Rice (No. 28 mid-major), Tulane (No. 18 mid-major) and Denver (No. 26), the Panthers return to the Sunshine State for their home opener, hosting Nova Southeastern and Indian River State in a Tri-Meet (Oct. 21).
A trip to Louisville, Kentucky, for the Louisville Invitational (Nov. 18-20) highlights the month of November. The Panthers close out the calendar year with a pair of meets (vs. Georgia Southern on Dec. 15 and vs. Yale and Cornell on Dec. 29).
Following a date in the Orange Bowl Swim Classic (Jan. 3) in Key Largo, Florida, the Panthers will host three-straight home meets to close out the regular season. FIU hosts intra-state rival Florida Gulf Coast (No. 31) on Jan. 28, and C-USA Florida Atlantic for Senior Day on Feb. 4.
The 2017 C-USA Swimming and Diving Championships will take place Feb. 22-25 from Georgia Tech's McAuley Aquatics Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
