Jan. 30, 2009
Texas A&M vs. SMU Game Program 
COLLEGE STATION, Texas --- The Texas A&M men's swimming and diving team will host longtime rival SMU in a dual meet at 6 p.m. on Friday at the TAMU Student Recreation Natatorium.
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Prior to the meet, the Aggies will honor its Senior Class of 2009 for its contributions to the Texas A&M swimming and diving program. Competing in their final home dual meet will be Shawn Clarke (Bridgetown, Barbados), Kyle Holland (Houston, Texas), Ryan Loney (Crosby, Texas), Brad Raiford (Kingwood, Texas), Eric Sehn (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), and John VanNatta (The Woodlands, Texas). The six seniors have all played a role continuing A&M's top 25 national finish streak, which was stretched to 13 straight seasons last year.
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Head Coach Jay Holmes praised the efforts of the seniors, which includes two members of his first signing class.
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"This is a special group of seniors," Holmes said. "They've played a big role in what we're trying to accomplish as a program. I put a lot of trust in these seniors as a group. They are ready to win, and eager to squeeze every ounce and drop of passion out to do it."
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Coming off a narrow loss to No. 18 LSU last Saturday, the Aggies will face another tough foe in the No. 20-ranked Mustangs. The Aggies and Mustangs' rivalry dates back to the Southwest Conference days, and the two teams have faced each other 61 previous times.
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"We've swam against SMU every year for a long, long time, and it's always a great college meet," said Holmes. "I remember competing against SMU when I was here as a swimmer, so the rivalry has a lot of history. It's always exciting for both teams to match-up against each other."