Courtesy: Liberty Athletics
A plethora of home events, in addition to the first trip to New Mexico in program history, highlight the 2018-19 Liberty swimming & diving schedule, as announced today by ninth-year Head Coach Jake Shellenberger.
The Lady Flames will contest six total home meets, spanning 16 dates at the state-of-the-art Liberty Natatorium. One of the top collegiate swimming & diving venues in the nation, the natatorium will host its first two in-season invitationals, while also serving as host for the CCSA Swimming & Diving Championships for the first time. Liberty’s first home meet of the season will feature the first visit of BYU to campus in any sport.
For the third straight year, the Lady Flames will contest a Blue/Red scrimmage on Sept. 22.
Liberty begins the regular season at CCSA opponent Campbell for the fifth straight year, heading to Buies Creek, N.C., on Sept. 29.
On Oct. 5-6, Liberty will compete in the New Mexico State Duals in Las Cruces, N.M. It will be the team’s first trip to New Mexico, and will coincide with Liberty’s football game at New Mexico State, Oct. 6.
Following a weekend off from competition, the Lady Flames will take on defending CAA champion James Madison, Oct. 20 at Savage Natatorium in Harrisonburg, Va.
The team returns to Lynchburg for its first home meet of the season, Oct. 26-27. The Lady Flames will welcome Old Dominion, BYU, Mount St. Mary’s and CCSA foe Gardner-Webb.
For the first time in program history, Liberty will host an in-season invitational, as the 2018 Liberty Invitational is scheduled for Nov. 16-18.
Swimmers who obtain qualifying times will travel to Greensboro, N.C., for the USA Swimming Winter National Championships, held Nov. 28 through Dec. 1.
The Lady Flames will open the new year in Fort Myers, Fla., for their annual training trip, culminating in the Florida Gulf Coast Duals on Jan. 5. That meet will feature the teams that have finished first and second in each of the last seven CCSA Championships, as Liberty won the conference title in 2014 and has finished second to FGCU six times.
A pair of dual meets wrap up the month of January, as Liberty will compete at UNC Asheville on Jan. 19 before hosting Marshall and Campbell in a tri-meet, Jan. 25-26 at Liberty Natatorium.
The month of February opens with the first-ever Liberty Diving Invitational, Feb. 2-3, as top divers will compete to improve their NCAA qualifying scores.
After being held at Georgia’s Gabrielsen Natatorium eight out of the last 10 years, the CCSA Swimming & Diving Championships are scheduled to be hosted at Liberty Natatorium for the first time. The conference’s four-day championship meet will take place Feb. 20-23.
Liberty will host the second annual Liberty Last Chance Invitational, March 1-3, as competitors make their last attempt at NCAA qualifying times.
Divers who earn qualifying marks will compete in the NCAA Zone A Division Championships, March 11-13 in Annapolis, Md.
The 2019 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championship will be held March 20-23 at Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center in Austin, Texas.