HOUSTON – The University of Connecticut men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams are set to compete in the 2016 American Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championships, which take place this week (Feb. 17-20) at the CRWC Natatorium at the University of Houston.
The championships feature six schools, as Tulane, East Carolina, Cincinnati, SMU, Houston and UConn will all be in action starting Wednesday. The Cougars and Green Wave will only be participating on the women’s side, while the remaining four teams will field both men’s and women’s squads. There will be 42 total events over the four-day stretch, with preliminary rounds beginning 11 a.m. ET before finals kick off at 7 p.m. ET.
Tickets for the event can be purchased HERE, and all four days of the championships will be covered live by the American Digital Network (ADN). The network will provide live coverage of all 42 finals and feature interviews with coaches and swimmers. All-session tickets ($33) will be available up until the action gets underway on Wednesday, and college students, senior citizens and those 18 or younger can go purchase their ticket for just $18 each.
Both UConn squads concluded its dual meet schedule on a high note, as the teams topped Dartmouth on Jan. 30. The men’s team finished with a 3-1 dual meet record while the women ended 1-3 on the year.
Connecticut divers, senior Taryn Urbanus (Quincy, Mass.) and sophomore Monica Marcello (Middletown, Conn.) garnered Female Diver of the Week honors while sophomore Daniel Kinney (Middletown, Conn.) was named Male Diver of the Week this season. Senior swimmer Jeff Magin (Brookfield, Conn.) was the only Husky to earn Male Swimmer of the Week recognition.
To wrap up the regular season, UConn held its annual Husky Open at the Wolff-Zackin Natatorium. The Huskies hosted four teams in the meet that featured a time trial format and mirrored a similar atmosphere to what they will see this week.
Last year, the men’s team finished third in the conference championships, while the women’s squad came in second behind SMU. Multiple Huskies set pool and school records, including Magin who broke the record in the 100-backstroke not once, but twice. Junior Tara O’Prey (Ridley Park, Pa.) set a new school record with a time of 55.12 in the 100-butterfly. Urbanus also won her second-straight three-meter diving final.
A total of 18 members of the UConn swimming and diving program earned All-Conference honors following their performances at last season’s championships.
Swimming news courtesy of UConn Swimming & Diving.