JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn.- Carson-Newman swim is set to host the first true home meet of the season against Lees-McRae this Saturday, Oct. 21 at 4:00 p.m.
The Eagles will kick off the first home meet of the season this Saturday, Oct. 21 at 4:00 p.m., racing Lees McRae for the first time since November of 2022.
"Our atmosphere here (at home) is always special," head swim coach Ben Young said. "Getting to hear the inside of that pool, it relieves some of that pressure. At the same time, though, the pressure is added on ourselves with what is expected out of the meet. We're just looking to continue to set our eyes on midseason, but really, this week is about getting the opportunity to swim at home".
Last year's meeting between the teams resulted in a home victory for the Eagles with a final score of 286-118. The women finished first in 10 out of 11 events in the meet and swept the podium in three events including the 200-yard freestyle, 200-yard butterfly, and 500-yard freestyle. One of the standout performances from that meet included Kyla Blakemore, Breanna Belcher, Manon Compagner, and Kennadi King's national cut in the 200-yard medley relay (1:42.79). Blakemore hit qualifying times in the 200-yard backstroke as well with a finals time of 2:01.33.
"We're looking for, again, quality swims out of everybody. This is an opportunity to race and put together the details that need to be put together by the time we hit midseason," Young said.
The men found the podium as well last year as they finished first in all 11 events throughout the meet. Asger Hartvig placed first in the men's 400-yard IM with a time of 4:18.17. Arthur Gluzman found gold in the 50-yard freestyle in 20.92.
The Eagles are coming off a dominant win over the Emory & Henry Wasps. The roadtrip to Emory, Va. proved successful as C-N left the meet with a 387-134 win. C-N placed first in each of the 28 events throughout the meet, and 12 different Eagles took home individual first-place finishes.
"It was a great start to the season. We saw a lot of quality swims, and we got exactly what we wanted out of it. Our whole goal was that they didn't win a race, and although there were a couple of close calls on the men's side, we got what we needed out of it," Young said.
C-N men's and women's swim were both recently ranked in the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) DII Top 25 polls. The men ranked 20th with 48 points in the voting, and the women earned the No. 15 spot with 94 points.
"We know that this is a long season, and we are excited to continue to race. Lees-McRae is a under a first-year head coach, as well, coming into this year. I am excited to see where he's going to take the progam. We've obviously raced them before, but they will have a much different look this year. We are really just looking for that opportunity to swim with someone new within the season that gives us the ability to get up, race, and piece together some of those swims," Young said.
Carson-Newman swim will host Lees-McRae this Saturday, Oct. 21 at 4:00 p.m. in the Maddox Student Activities Center. Come out to support and stay up to date on cneagles.com.
