GRAND FORKS, N.D. - University of North Dakota head women's swimming and diving coach Steve Parsons has announced the schedule for the 2012-13 season.
"Looking at our schedule I can say we will be tested early and often," Parsons said. "It is exciting to have some new teams on our schedule with Nebraska-Lincoln visiting in October for a Friday-Saturday combo. Our trips to Kansas and Air Force will definitely challenge our young team. I expect our women to perform well and step up to the level of competition we will face each weekend."
UND will host a total of four meets this season at the Hyslop pool. Three of those come to start the season as the annual Green/White intra-squad meet kicks things off on Oct. 5. A week later, UND welcomes Nebraska and former North Central Conference-foe St. Cloud State for a two-day meet.
North Dakota then welcomes rival South Dakota on Oct. 20 in the first of two meets with the Coyotes. USD will also be the opponent in the regular season finale in Vermillion, S.D. on Jan. 26.
November sees UND travel to Kansas to take on the Jayhawks and TCU on Nov. 2-3 followed by the three-day TYR Invite hosted by Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.
The final home meet comes on Dec. 8 when Northern Iowa visits Hyslop pool. Following the semester break, UND travels to Ft. Myers, Fla. to face Florida Gulf Coast, Liberty and Georgia Southern. Two weeks later, the team makes its way to Colorado Springs, Colo. and the Air Force Academy. There, UND will face the AFA, Seattle and Wyoming.
"I still hold the belief that if we prepare our women to swim fast teams throughout the dual meet season then they will be ready for anything they see at the conference meet," Parsons said. "This really is an exciting year and with it being first season eligible to compete at the Division I NCAA Zone Diving meet and the Division I NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, we are excited to see some of our athletes competing at the next level."
The Western Athletic Conference meet begins Feb. 27 and extends through Mar. 2. San Antonio, Texas will again serve as host for the meet in the second year of UND's affiliation with the conference. North Dakota gets its first opportunity to qualify for the NCAA Championships at the NCAA Division I level this season. The NCAA Zone Diving meet is held Mar. 14-16 and the NCAA Swimming Championships will be held at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, Ind. on the campus of IUPUI.
