After a training trip to Largo, Fla., the Illinois swimming and diving team is heading into a doubleheader weekend against Iowa State and Iowa.
It’s been over a month since Illinois’ painful defeat to Illinois State, which was the first loss against the Redbirds in over a decade, but head coach Sue Novitsky said her team is ready to get back to competing.
“We worked hard over break, and we’ve been working on trying to add some speed and get ready for the final swing of the season,” Novitsky said.
While senior swimmer Kathleen Knight said she thinks the swimmers may struggle getting back into the swing of things, senior diver Keri Eberhardt found the break helpful because it shifted focus from competition to practice.
“Some of them needed to break down their dives a little bit and work on individual parts,” diving coach Chris Waters said. “So from that standpoint, the break in competition was just helpful.”
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After a 93-point loss to Iowa last season, Illinois will be looking to redeem itself Saturday morning and boost its all-time record against the Hawkeyes to 15-10 with a win. Then again, the home meet against Iowa State the night before leaves room for doubt.
“It gives you a great opportunity to let your mind slip a little bit,” Knight said. “(We’re) just staying on top of each other, reminding each other of details and taking every opportunity to get up and race.”
Against Iowa, Illinois will be hosting its fifth annual Splash Bash, which includes family friendly festivities that could ease some of the swimmers’ stress. The event will begin at 11 a.m., taking place in the ARC’s MP6 room, which overlooks the pool. Admission and parking are free.
Knight said she and the team are hoping to use the energy from the home crowd to create a loud and exciting environment. Novitsky agrees but also said she will be watching to see how much her swimmers have honed their detail work, such as starts, turns, breakouts and finishes.
“I want to own the wall this weekend,” Novitsky said. “Every stroke is going to count this weekend, every dive, and that’s what makes it exciting.”
J.J. can be reached at [email protected].
