RedHawks Host 18th Annual Miami Invitational
11/29/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving
Meet some of the top swimmers and divers from the visiting teams
Nov. 29, 2011
OXFORD, Ohio - Miami's men's and women's swimming and diving teams will host the 18th Annual Miami Invitational Dec. 1-3 at the Nixon Aquatic Center. The RedHawks will welcome teams from Cincinnati, Denison, Emory, Southern Illinois and Wright State along with international divers from around the U.S. and China.
Miami's men enter the weekend 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the Mid-American Conference. Last time out, the RedHawks topped Division III power Kenyon, 163-135 on Nov. 12.
The Red and White swimmers have been led by senior Chris Gunnels, with six individual and four relay wins, and sophomore Dan Nemeth, with first-place finishes in three individual and five relay events. Senior James Beres has led the RedHawk divers, recording six first-place finishes.
The Miami women are 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the MAC. In their most recent action, also Nov. 12, they topped Kenyon 167-119.
Leaders for the women's team have been junior Bekka Westrick, with five individual and three relay wins, and sophomore Michaela Scott, with five individual and one relay win. Sophomore Nikki Craft has been Miami's top diver, finishing first four times.
The Cincinnati men are 0-4 overall and finished fourth at the Pittsburgh Invitational while the women are 1-3 with a fifth place finish at the Pittsburgh Invitational. The Bearcats are led by senior Haywood Miller for the men and fellow senior Liz Hansson for the women.
Denison's men are the defending Division III National Champions after ending Kenyon's streak of 31 consecutive national championships in 2010-11. The Big Red have a 3-3 record so far this season along with a first-place finish at the Kenyon Relays in October. The women are 4-2 this season, including a win over Division I foe, Cleveland State. Last season the Big Red finished second at the Division III National Championships.
The Emory men, who finished third last year at the Division III National Championships, come to Oxford with an 0-3 record, all against Division I opponents. The Eagles' women's team is the defending Division III National Champion and has a record of 1-3, also all against Division I opponents. The Eagles are led by swimmers Patrick Augustyn and Anne Culpepper and divers Daniel Kolb and Sarah Greene.
Southern Illinois's men are 3-1 overall and 2-1 in the MAC this season, including a win over Miami on Oct. 8. They finished fifth in their last action at the Tennessee Invitational. The women are 1-1 and finished seventh at the Tennessee Invitational. The Salukis are led by swimmers Justin Wolfe and Kirsten Groome and divers Justin Ruszkowski and Brittany Weigel.
Wright State enters the weekend with a 2-5 record for the men and 3-5 record for the women. The Raiders, who have no men's divers, are led by Hermanus Botha for the men and swimmer Molley Pipkorn along with diver Neena Zwier for the women.
The Miami Invitational will begin with timed finals at 6 p.m. on Thursday. Friday and Saturday's competitions will be broken up into prelims at 9 a.m. and finals at 6 p.m. each day. Tickets are available at the door for $5 for adults and $3 for youth (under 18). Miami students are free with valid Miami ID.
Events for the weekend are as follows (diving will take place between prelims and finals on Friday and Saturday):
Thursday: 800 Freestyle Relay, 1650 Freestyle
Friday: 200 Freestyle Relay, 200 Butterfly, 200 Freestyle, 100 Breaststroke, 100 Backstroke, 400 IM, 50 Freestyle, 400 Medley Relay, Women's 3-Meter Diving and Men's 1-Meter Diving
Saturday: 200 Medley Relay, 200 Backstroke, 500 Freestyle, 100 Butterfly, 200 Breaststroke, 100 Freestyle, 200 IM, 400 Freestyle Relay, Women's 1-Meter Diving and Men's 3-Meter Diving