November 15, 2007
Three of the nation?â„¢s top 15 women?â„¢s swimming & diving programs will face off at the second annual Art Adamson Invitational at the Student Rec Center Natatorium this weekend.
Texas A&M, the meet?â„¢s host team, comes in as the highest ranked of the bunch at No. 6. Southern Methodist, who the Aggies defeated three weeks ago for the SMU Swimming & Diving Classic crown, clocks in at No. 12. The University of Michigan sits in the No. 13 slot in this week?â„¢s College Swim Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) dual meet poll.
The Aggies (4-0) have lost only a single meet over the last season-and-a-half, that being the 2007 NCAA Championships where they finished in a school record eighth place. A&M has also won their home fall invitational for the last three years straight as well. The Art Adamson Invitational marks A&M?â„¢s last meet until a yet-to-be-determined match-up during the Aggies?â„¢ winter training trip to Barbados in January.
The SMU Mustangs (2-0) have perennially been A&M?â„¢s toughest competition at the fall invitational, having finished directly behind the Aggies at the meet for three of the last four seasons. In addition to their second place finish at the SMU Classic, the Mustangs have wins over North Texas and Wyoming in addition to winning the Mean Green Relays title in early October.
The University of Michigan (3-1) will be visiting College Station in November for a third straight season. The Wolverines finished second to A&M a year ago at the Adamson Invitational and have never finished lower than third at the meet. Michigan has swam a tough early season schedule, having defeated both No. 16 Texas and No. 22 Indiana while suffering only a single defeat to No. 7 Florida on the road.
The Art Adamson Invitational will take place Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Prelims are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Friday and Saturday with finals on tap for 6 p.m. Prelims on Sunday will start at 9:30 a.m. with finals slated for 4:30 p.m.
The meet will be contested in an unorthodox format compared with past years. Teams will swim long course meters during the morning sessions in hopes of picking up Olympic Trial qualifying times for its individual swimmers. In the evening, the pool will be changed to short course yards so that swimmers will have the opportunity to better qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Admission to the Art Adamson Invitational is free of charge. The 12th Man Team Rewards Program will be in attendance to scan its program members as well.