George Washington University Athletics
Swimming & Diving Reveals 2019-2020 Schedule
8/27/2019 1:30:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving
Colonials to host three meets at Smith Center Pool
WASHINGTON - Looking to build on its recent success, George Washington swimming and diving is poised to tackle a challenging schedule in 2019-2020, highlighted by three home meets at Smith Center Pool.
The Colonials kick off their second season under head coach Brian Thomas on Oct. 4-5 at the TYR Fall Classic hosted by Florida International.
The men will be aiming for a fourth straight Atlantic 10 title next spring, while the women will try to continue their climb up the conference standings after a runner-up finish last February.
"I'm pleased with how the schedule turned out, especially with the wide variety of racing environments and the different looks we'll get from some Power 5 opponents throughout the year," Thomas said. "The U.S. Open will be great exposure for GW on a national stage and allow us to match up against some of the best swimmers in the world.
"We'll need these opportunities in order to prepare for the A-10 Championships, which I expect to be a significant challenge on both sides. Of course, there's always a different feel going into an Olympic Year, and we've made some adjustments to support those goals, as well."
After the season-opening trip to Florida, GW kicks off the dual meet season on Oct. 18 at Navy facing the Midshipmen, Towson and Johns Hopkins. The next day, the Colonials open their home slate with a visit from Boston College for a 1 p.m. start.
The Buff and Blue will travel to Virginia Tech on Oct. 26 and then make the short trip to Howard on Nov. 9 before heading to the Queens University Fall Frenzy on Nov. 22-24, where they'll face off against the host Royals, who have captured both the men's and women's Division II NCAA titles in five consecutive seasons.
To close out the fall, a select group of swimmers will compete at the Toyota U.S. Open, which will be held at Georgia Tech from Dec. 4-7, while the women's team will host A-10 foe Richmond on Dec. 7.
After winter break, GW continues its season Jan. 18 with a visit from Georgetown for Senior Day in Foggy Bottom. The Colonials will make final preparations for championship season with trips to William & Mary (Jan. 25) and West Virginia (Feb. 1).
The A-10 Championships run Feb. 19-22, at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. The GW men were dominant last February, piling up 22 medals, 14 of them gold, en route to a third straight title, while the women landed 13 medals, including six golds, to improve their conference positioning for a fourth straight season.
The trip to Ohio will close with the A-10 Long Course Invitational in the same pool on Sunday, Feb. 23.
For the third straight season, GW plans to take part in the CSCAA National Invitational Championship, which will be contested March 12-14 at Cleveland State. The men finished fifth against a national field in 2019 with the women placing 16th out of 47 scoring squads.
GW's divers, headlined by reigning A-10 champion Peter Nachtwey, hope to advance to the NCAA Zone A Championships, which will be held March 9-11 to determine NCAA qualifiers.
The NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships start on March 18, in Athens, Ga., while the NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships run March 25-28, in Indianapolis. The Colonials have been represented at the national meet in three of the past four seasons.
Players Mentioned
