Courtesy: Miami Athletics
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami women’s swimming & diving team will honor a vital senior class Saturday prior to its final home meet of the season at the Whitten University Center Pool.
As part of pre-meet festivities before a matchup against FGCU (12 p.m.), the Hurricanes will recognize diver David Dinsmore and swimmers Claire McGinnis and Manon Viguier.
UM’s fourth swim / dive senior – redshirt senior diver Alicia Blagg – will be at the Great British National Cup as she begins qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
One of Miami’s team captains and a native of Oakland Township, Mich., McGinnis has been Miami’s top distance swimmer during her four-year career at The U. Viguier, a France native, has Miami’s best-ever time in the 100-yard freestyle and was a member of two all-time top relay teams, and also ranks among the top 10 in several other individual events.
Dinsmore, a 2017 NCAA national champion, is a three-time defending ACC gold medalist and a three-time NCAA All-American. And, though she will not be present Saturday, Blagg was named the 2019 ACC Women’s Diver of the Year after earning NCAA All-America recognition and sweeping the springboard at last year’s ACC Championships.
The Hurricanes will be looking to continue their recent run of success against their talented in-state foe; in 2018-19, Miami pulled off a home-and-home sweep of FGCU, including a 121-119 win at the Whitten Pool in October 2018.
Coming off a 159-140 win over Boston College last time out, Miami will be competing in its last true home dual meet of the year. Last time out, the Hurricanes were paced in the lanes by junior Zorry Mason (three individual wins), freshman Isabel Traba (first place, 200-yard butterfly) and junior Carmen San Nicolas (first place, 200-yard freestyle).
Following a tri-meet on Jan. 25 hosted by Florida State, the Hurricanes will host their First Chance Meet on Feb. 15 before making the trip to Greensboro, N.C., and the ACC Swimming & Diving Championships from Feb. 19 – Feb. 22. NCAA Zone qualifiers will take places in Athens, Ga., from March 9-11 for both men and women. The NCAA Women’s Swimming & Diving Champinoships are set for March 18-21 in Athens, while Miami’s men’s diving contingent will take part in the NCAA Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships from March 26-28 in Indianapolis, Ind.