Doug Coers Invitational (co-ed) Schedule
Date - Sat, Nov 21
Location - Muncie, Ind.
Time - 1:00 p.m.
For swimming and diving teams, intrasquad meets allow the team to evaluate freshmen and reevaluate returning members prior to the season opener. While one is typical per season, Ball State men's swimming and diving head coach, Rob Thomas, put two on the schedule.
Every team the Cardinals will face this year have one intrasquad meet, if any. Coach Thomas and his team competed in their first intrasquad meet on Oct. 30 with the red squad facing off against the white squad. The white team barely edged the red team with a score of 95 to 80.
“It came down to the last relay,” Thomas said. “The guys swam exceptionally well for that time of the season.”
The second intrasqaud meet took place Saturday Nov. 14 at Lewellen pool. In another close battle, the red team came out on top this time. After falling short in the first event, the 400-medley relay, the red team quickly responded by winning seven consecutive events.
So why were there multiple intrasquad meets?
There is no superstition, good luck charm or strategy to that. The original planned meet on Nov. 14 had been scheduled as a dual meet with Eastern Illinois. The Panthers backed out of that meet which left the Cardinals with an open weekend.
Thomas’ competitive mindset led him to the decision to hold another intrasquad meet.
“I wanted to have a competition prior to the Doug Coers Invitational,” Thomas said.
Coach Thomas had the guys-who were split into red and white teams chosen by the two captains, Cole Smith and Tanner Barton, swim high school events in the first meet and college events in the second meet.
The two are similar except college races are twice as far for some of the strokes.
“They’re used to the high school events, half our team are freshman, for them it was ideal because they’re comfortable with that line up," Thomas said.
The Cardinals have nine freshmen on their squad this year and one senior, and Thomas believes his team needs to begin to realize the difference between the two levels.
“I know what they did in high school, but college is a different game,” Thomas said. “They're the ones under the microscope.”
The guys on the team were all for another weekend of competition prior to the start of the season. Senior captain Cole Smith says intrasquad meets are a great way to see how everyone is progressing.
“They’re useful,” said Smith. “It definitely gives coach a look at the freshmen to see what they can do.”
Coach Thomas now has a full look at what he can expect heading into the regular season which officially starts with the Cardinals hosting the annual Doug Coers Invitational on Saturday Nov. 21.
“I kind of equate the season like climbing a mountain, were still on the uphill climb at this point. They haven’t hit their peak condition yet," Thomas said.
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