June 18, 2008
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Missouri Swimming and Diving Head Coach Brian Hoffer announced the Tigers' schedule for the upcoming 2008-09 season on Wednesday. Both the men's and women's teams will have some tough competition this season, including meets against a pair of top-25 powerhouses.
"The 2008-09 swimming and diving season will create some challenges for us," Coach Hoffer said. "The staff and team are looking forward to these challenges and to represent the University with the passion and pride that is expected at Mizzou."
The Tigers and the Missouri Aquatic Center (MAC) will be hosting many big events this year, including the Big 12 Championships, Feb. 25-28, and the NCAA Zone Diving competition, March 13-15. The MAC will also play host to the annual Show Me Showdown, opening the team's season on October 18, the Mizzou Invitational, Dec. 5-7, and the Missouri Grand Prix, Feb. 13-16.
After opening the season with the Show Me Showdown, both teams will head to Lawrence, Kan. for a pair of contests. On Oct. 23, the men and women will face Texas A&M in a conference dual in Kansas' Robinson Natatorium. Texas A&M's men were ranked 20th at the end of the 2007-08 season, while the women finished sixth. The following day, both squads will compete in the Big 12 Relays, also held at the Robinson Natatorium.
Following the Big 12 Relays, the women will host their first home dual of the season. On Nov. 1, the women's squad will take on the Kansas Jayhawks in the Border Showdown. The men's next competition will come on the road in a dual against Southern Illinois, set for Nov. 7 in Carbondale, Ill. The next week, both squads will head to Louisville, Ky. for a two-day dual against the Louisville Cardinals, Nov. 14-15.
The Tigers will welcome the second half of their schedule on Jan. 10, 2009, when they travel to Fayetteville, Ark. Both squads will face off against Kentucky, while the women will also battle another SEC team in Arkansas.
A week later, the two squads will go to Bloomington, Ind. to take on powerhouse Indiana. The Hoosiers' men's team finished last season ranked sixth in the country, while the women finished 22nd overall.
On Jan. 24, the women will take on conference foe Iowa State in Missouri's last home dual of the campaign. On Jan. 31, both teams will head to Iowa City, Iowa to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes. The meet will be the final dual of the regular season for the men. The women will conclude their dual season on Feb. 7 against Nebraska in Lincoln.
Next up will be the Missouri Grand Prix, Feb. 13-16, the third consecutive year for the event which has seen world records shattered and numerous Olympians take the stage in the four-day event.
The Grand Prix will mark final chance for Missouri to gear up before the Big 12 Championships. The Big 12's will be hosted by Mizzou, Feb. 25-28, bringing together every conference squad at the MAC for the first time. Last year, the Tiger women edged out Kansas to finish in third at the conference championships. The men came in third for the seventh consecutive year. Both teams look to improve on those finishes on their way to a Big 12 title.
On March 1, the day after the Big 12 Championships end, Missouri will host the Last Chance Meet, the final opportunity for competitors to qualify for the NCAA Championships in March. The women's NCAA Championships will be held from March 19-21, while the men's will run March 26-28. Both events will be hosted by the Texas A&M Aggies in College Station, Texas, at the Student Rec Center Natatorium.