University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Lykins Releases 2018-19 Swimming Schedule
07.24.2018 | Women's Swimming & Diving
2018-19 SCHEDULE
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – UNC Asheville head swimming coach Elizabeth Lykins announced the 2018-19 schedule on Tuesday afternoon, which includes four home meets inside the Justice Center Pool.
"Our staff is excited with the competitive nature of this year's schedule," said Lykins. "We'll return to the Collegiate Open Water National Championships for the second year and are hoping for strong results."
This year's schedule is different from previous years, as the Bulldogs are hosting its first-ever Alumni Meet in conjunction with its intrasquad meet.
"Hosting our first-ever Alumni Meet in conjunction with the intrasquad meet will be a highlight of the early fall squad," Lykins said.
Overall, the seventh-year head coach is ecstatic about the overall quality of the schedule.
"Throughout the season we'll race six conference opponents as the team prepares for the CCSA Championships in mid-February," Lykins exclaimed.
"We added a few competitive non-conference teams like Davidson and UNC Wilmington that will add to the strength of schedule overall. With strong opponents throughout the year, the team will be aptly prepared for the conference championships and the National Invitational Championships at the end of the season."
To kick off the season, Lykins will send several distance swimmers to compete at the CSCAA Collegiate National Open Water Championships for the second consecutive year.
Last year, Catherine Allen, Stephanie Smith, Adee Weller and Allie Snyder all participated in the competition in Lawrence, Kan.
The Bulldogs return to the pool on Sept. 29 at 11 a.m., as they will host their annual intrasquad meet. To add to the annual event, Lykins added the first-ever Alumni Meet, where past swimmers will come back and compete in a preseason friendly.
To start the regular season, UNC Asheville hosts Campbell on Oct. 13 at 10:30 a.m.
To conclude the month of October, the Bulldogs will travel to three straight road meets, beginning with Georgia Southern on Oct. 19. The following day, Asheville will travel to the Sunshine State to go head-to-head with North Florida. For the final meet of the month, the Bulldogs will travel to Davidson, N.C. to race against Davidson and VMI inside the Cannon Natatorium.
Last season the Bulldogs raced past both Georgia Southern (155-107) and North Florida (218-94) at home. The last time the Bulldogs raced against VMI was during the 2015-16 season, where they won at home 108-72, and the last time UNC Asheville competed against Davidson was two seasons ago, where the Bulldogs fell 221-125.
After a three-meet road stretch, UNC Asheville hosts Gardner-Webb on Nov. 2 at 5 p.m.
After competing in last year's Fall Frenzy, UNC Asheville returns to the three-day meet this season in Charlotte, N.C. The meet is hosted by Queens University and commences on Nov. 17.
At last year's Fall Frenzy, the Bulldogs finished third out of nine teams and had several personal records recorded.
To conclude the 2018 portion of the schedule, Asheville travels to Fort Myers, Fla. to race head-to-head with Florida Gulf Coast on Dec. 17.
After the winter break and the New Year, the Bulldogs will travel to their final road meet of the season, as they travel to UNC Wilmington on Jan. 5. The dual meet will start at 1 p.m. in Wilmington, N.C.
To complete the regular season, the Bulldogs will host Senior Day on Jan. 19, as they entertain Liberty at 11 a.m. inside the Justice Pool.
The CCSA Conference Championships commences a month later, as Liberty will host the four-day meet. The championship meet starts on Feb. 20 and concludes on Feb. 23.
At last year's CCSA Championships in Athens, Ga., the Bulldogs shattered numerous school records as well as breaking several individual personal records.
New to this year's schedule is the addition of the National Invitational Championships, which is hosted by Cleveland State University. The three-day meet starts on March 14 and will be held at the Robert F. Busbey Natatorium.
This season's NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships will be held at Texas. The national championship meet will start on March 20 and conclude on March 23.
