JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – This weekend, the Carson-Newman swim teams have a chance to exert itself into the Southeast swimming picture at the Wingate Fall Frenzy at the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center in Charlotte, N.C.
Heading into the weekend, both the C-N men's and women's team have picked up two duel meet wins over Lenior-Rhyne and the University of the Cumberlands.
Now, the Eagles will swim against some of the best teams in Division-II with the likes of Wingate and Queens and also two Division-I teams with College of Charleston and Georgia Southern participating in the meet.
"This is a great, great opportunity for us to go up against some of the best. We are not really looking for team score at this meet. We are looking to set us up for conference," coach Paige McCord said. "I think what will happen is the athletes, especially the freshmen and sophomores, get a good feel for the long three-day prelim and final format. And I think we will go some good times. "
Last season, the men finished ninth and the women placed sixth at the Fall Frenzy. Some of the top-placing finishers for the Eagles last season will back in the pool this weekend.
Sophomore Natalie Burnett (Sevierville, Tenn.) placed fourth in the 50 Free with a time of 23.91. For the men, then-junior Stephen Parsons (Auburn, Ala.) placed second in the 200 Free (1:40.69) and third in the 100 Free with a blistering time of 45.59.
In 2013, the relay teams were one of the bright spots for the Eagles. On the men's side, the 200 Free Relay placed eighth with a time of 1:25.66 and then finished fifth in the 400 Free Relay (3:06.12). For the women, the 200 Free Relay placed eighth (1:25.60) and a time of 7:50.01 was good enough for fifth in the 800 Free Relay.
"I'm excited to see how the athletes react. Also, as a coach, it helps me know more about them based on the way that the swim based on our training methods," McCord said.
The three-day Fall Frenzy runs Friday through Sunday and will be at the Mecklenburg Aquatic Center in Charolotte, N.C. Full coverage will be available on cneagles.com.
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