After the men and women finished second and seventh, respectively, at the Ohio State Invitational in Columbus, Ohio, the teams are preparing for their final meets before the holiday break. The Utah swimming team will split up for two dual meets on Saturday, Dec. 3.
Utah men vs. Wyoming
For the second year in a row, the Utah men will meet the Wyoming Cowboys at a neutral site in Green River, Wyoming.
“This meet is a great community outreach opportunity for us,” said head coach Joe Dykstra. “Green River is about midway between Salt Lake and Laramie. Last year the whole town showed up. They sold t-shirts, it was standing room only, and the mayor of Green River was on the pool deck thanking us for coming to his town. We’ve had a lot of summer camp attendees from this event. It’s really good to help build the sport of swimming.”
Dykstra, who will be travelling with the men to Green River, noted the challenges this meet will present following their strong performance in Columbus.
“We’ve ramped up our training after Ohio, so the guys will be swimming tired, as opposed to swimming fresh like they were at that event,” Dykstra said.
Junior Jack Burton is questionable for the event in Green River due to illness. Burton is currently undefeated in the 100 and 200 breast stroke, and he will be a notable absence if he cannot compete. When asked how the Utes will respond if Burton cannot compete Dykstra was adamant about senior McKay King having a strong weekend.
“McKay King is becoming a real go-to force for us in the sprints in the freestyle, butterfly and backstroke,” Dykstra said.
The men’s meet will begin at 1 p.m. MST.
Utah women vs. Boise State
The Utah women will look to rebound after a somewhat disappointing meet at Ohio. Competing against the No. 1 ranked team was going to be a challenge for the Utes, but a seventh place finish was far from what they had in mind.
“They were pretty disappointed with how they did in Ohio, and they are ready to make some changes,” said head distance coach Michele Lowry.
Lowry will be leading the Ute women this weekend against Boise State.
“Competing in dual meets is where we need to start improving,” Lowry said. “Boise State is a very good team to start improving with — they are a great team. They will send people to the national championships, so we need to step up to that level.
“I always expect Stina Colleou to step up. She holds herself to a higher standard. I also expect Jordan Anderson to perform well. She is coming off of a great meet at Ohio, and we expect her to continue to improve.”
Lowry also thinks her freshmen will compete well in Boise.
“They are ready to do something against a team we all know pretty well coming from the mountain states.”
The women’s meet will begin at 11 a.m. MST at the Boise YMCA.