After basking in the warm Florida sun during the semester break, the men's swimming and diving team returns to Muncie and gets back to business this weekend.
The Cardinals open the Spring Semester with a bang, welcoming Big Ten Conference powerhouse Ohio State to Lewellen Pool today at 4 p.m. Saturday the team will travel to Cincinnati to face the Bearcats.
Head coach Bob Thomas said that facing strong competition to start the semester could benefit his team the same way it did last year.
"We swam at and above our potential in the second semester last year and I hope to see that again this year," Thomas said. "I'm expecting a good weekend out of the guys, not only this weekend, but every weekend here on out."
The Cardinals will need strong finishes Friday if they hope to get the better of Ohio State. The Buckeyes finished seventh at the Big Ten championships last season, and will bring a 5-0 dual meet record to Muncie. They return several strong swimmers who have international experience.
Junior Nick Rees is an NCAA qualifier in the 100-yard butterfly and competed in the Bahamas for the 2000 Olympic Games. Senior backstroker Ivan Petrovic represented his native Croatia in this summer's World University Games. The Buckeyes also pose a strong threat on the diving boards, as junior duo Heath Knowling and Chris Monson were Big Ten finalists last season in both the one and three-meter diving events.
"Ohio State is a powerhouse," Thomas said. "They've got depth; they've got horses in every event, including diving; and it will be a great experience to go up against a team of that stature.
"I really am looking to see our guys be competitive and not fold up the tent. I want them to step up and challenge each guy."
Cincinnati has talented front-runners of its own. Sophomore Scott Davison is an NCAA qualifier in the 1,650-yard freestyle and junior Ryan McNally competed in the national championships in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly.
"(The Bearcats) swam very well at the Miami Invitational and they have a much better team than they had last year," Thomas said. "We were able to sneak by them last year in a dual meet, but I don't think that will happen again - especially in their pool."
Turning in consistent efforts is just as important to start the semester as competing against strong teams. Thomas said the swimmers need to be able to race hard for three days during the conference championship meet, so if there is a decline in performance in the second of back-to-back meets, he will recognize a lack of conditioning.
"I'll be looking for a letdown on Saturday and anyone who shows me that will be in first thing Monday morning for training," Thomas said. "This weekend will be a great experience for our guys. I think we'll find out who our racers are."
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