Oct. 3, 2017
Vanderbilt swimming opens the 2017-18 campaign on the road Wednesday, traveling to Lexington, Kentucky for a dual against the Kentucky Wildcats at Lancaster Aquatic Center at 1 p.m.
This is not only the Dores first meet of the season, but the first collegiate dual for a third of the team, which consists of seven freshmen making their debut NCAA swims.
“With such a young team, getting first-meet exposure is what we were looking for with [the freshmen],” said swimming head coach Jeremy Organ, who enters his 12th season in charge of the program. “We want to see them compete and rise to the occasion.”
Vanderbilt is returning 14 other swimmers to join the large freshman class this season, and Organ expects to see the veterans lead the program into the first dual of the season.
“In this first meet, the upperclassmen really set the tone for the whole team,” Organ said. “We’ve had a great first month of practice, I know they are all excited to race someone other than themselves.”
Upon returning from Kentucky, Vanderbilt will head to Jacksonville, Fla. for a dual against North Florida. The Dores don’t compete in Nashville until a November 4 dual against Arkansas.
Notes on Kentucky: Vanderbilt faces a tough test in the Wildcats, who are coming off a 2017-18 season that saw them finish third at the SEC Championships, matching a program best. Vanderbilt last swam in a dual against Kentucky in January of 2015, losing 170-92. Wednesday is the season-opener for Kentucky as well.
All fans can follow along with the meet by following the swim team on twitter, @Vanderbiltswim.
