Video: Jordan Taylor Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Home sweet home is the theme for Carson-Newman Swimming this Saturday against the Emmanuel College Lions. The Eagles look to continue their 2021 success and improve upon their imposing home record as they go head-to-head with the Lions on Jan. 30 at 1 p.m.
The Eagles were in action last week for the fifth annual Blue v. Orange meet. Heading into the meet, the series was tied 2-2 apiece and someone had to break the tie. The event came down to the very last relay result and ultimately, the Orange team gaining the 114-108 victory and 3-2 series lead. Coach Jordan Taylor described last week as "a very encouraging and electric atmosphere for the swimmers, all because of pride." The Eagles were last in dual-meet action on Jan. 16 when they dominated the Mars Hill Lions to a 408-92 defeat to open the 2021 portion of the season.
"Emmanuel is a team we've raced over the last couple years, especially since they're set up in our conference as well. They bring a lot of talent and competition as they've been ranked highly each of the last couple years," Taylor said. "It's going to be a big challenge for us this weekend. We may have the depth advantage, but they do not lack in talent. We may just need to perform as much as we did last week in Blue v. Orange so that we come out with the win."
When the Eagles and Emmanuel Lions last saw each other, it was a brisk January 18th, 2020 day in Franklin Springs, Ga where the Lions, Eagles, and SCAD Bees saw tri-meet action. The Eagles women's team defeated the Emmanuel Lions 198-64 while the men's team had the lead until they were awarded a late event disqualification, costing them seven points, and ultimately a 131.5-130.5 defeat. The men defeated SCAD 133-128 while the women pollinated the Bees 184-75. Therefore, the Eagles were the tri-meet victors with a combined score of 645.5 against both opponents.
The last time Emmanuel and C-N met in dual meet competition was January 19, 2019 when the Lions paid Jefferson City a visit. The event saw the Eagles pull out a 308-216 team victory on Senior Day with the men winning 145-117 alongside the women's 163-99. This year's squad will hope to repeat event success on Saturday as the 2020-21 regular season ends in the coming weeks.
As it is been during this year of unexpectedness, one thing has remained constant: Eagles being top-10 for DII Swimming. Currently, the Eagles sit at #7 for the women's and a hard-fought #8 for the men's heading into Saturday.
"Obviously, our focus is on Conference in a couple weeks as we look to solidify relays and scoring teams. The swimmers are focusing on being put on the team for Conference. However, we cannot take this weekend easy since Emmanuel is a strong team," Taylor said. "This weekend should help us prepare for what we'll see at Conference. We have to go fast and compete as we have been to solidify our success."
After Saturday, C-N will wrap up their regular season on Feb. 6 against Lees-McRae Bobcats. This will be the Senior Day celebration as the meet was rescheduled from its original date of Oct. 31, 2020.
"It's always nice to be at home and defend our home turf. It's nice to have it livestreamed to connect with the families," Taylor said. "It's nice to have practice early in the morning and not having to jump on a bus for hours of travel. The fact that we haven't been on the road much this season plays a part in making the trip to Conference in SC that much more special."
Be sure to keep up with the Carson-Newman swim team all season long on cneagles.com and on all of C-N's social media platforms.
-CN-
