NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Vanderbilt swimming team will return from an extended break following its opening competition of the season with a trio of dual meets as part of the Dual-A-Pool-Ooza Invitational this weekend.
The Commodores begin the competition Friday at 11 a.m. CT against Florida International at the Whitten Center Pool, then will take on Liberty and Miami (Fla.) at the Doral Aquatic Center the following day. Vandy faces the Flames at 9 a.m. and the Hurricanes at 2 p.m. Saturday.
The first two dual meets of the weekend will include one freestyle and one medley relay along with seven individual events, with the final match-up Saturday afternoon featuring an additional relay in place of an individual race.
It’s the first competition for the Dores since facing No. 10 Florida on Sept. 26.
“The last three weeks let us get into a really good routine and day-to-day process of working on all those details that help make us better. And now we can take a little step and get some racing in and reevaluate where we are as we get ready for the midseason meet in a few weeks,” head coach Jeremy Organ said. “This is our first time doing this kind of event of with three meets of different events so it is going to be important for everyone to be able to put up really good swims in their best events.”
In their opening meet of the season against the Gators, six Dores combined to post top-three results in the different disciplines. Melissa Cowen and Amanda Vileikis touched the wall third in the 200 and 100 breaststroke, respectively, with Kate Heintz (200) and Sophie Pham (100) accomplishing the feat in the butterfly. A pair of freshmen—Matilda White and Sydney Green—placed third in the 50 and 1,000 freestyle as well.
White and Green also paced Vanderbilt in the 100 and 500 freestyle, with Aubrey Hull leading the team in the 100 and 200 backstroke. Ellie Butler was the first finisher for the Commodores in the 200 freestyle against the Gators, and Elle Noecker touched the wall first for Vandy in the 200 individual medley.
The Dores last met the Hurricanes on Jan. 2, 2024, the most recent matchup with any of the programs competing this weekend. The last time Vandy faced Liberty also came in Florida at a dual meet in Gainesville in 2020, while this will mark the Commodores’ first matchup with the Panthers since the 2008-09 campaign.