The NR/No. 12 Wisconsin swim and dive team is getting a little taste of championship season this weekend when they head to South Bend, Ind. to compete in the Notre Dame Shamrock Invitational this Friday and Saturday.
Since coming back from the semester break, quite a bit has changed for the Badgers. Over the hiatus, the team went on a weeklong training trip to Hawaii that tested them both mentally and physically. At the culmination of their week in Hawaii, the team took a road trip to USC that ended in tough losses on both sides to the Trojans.
In addition, the women’s team is down two members with the departures of sophomores Dana Liva and Lizzie Brown at semester. Liva was one of the top platform divers on the team, and Brown, a breaststroker, leaves a gaping hole in a position of dire need. The two departures add to the previous loss of junior Nathan Mueller in October.
The Shamrock Invitational is a two-day meet that includes multiple teams competing in both swimming and diving, including NR/No. 22 Notre Dame, Nebraska (women only), Grand Canyon, Missouri State (men only) and Clemson (diving only).
With the team being a bit more rested than they were at USC, times will likely be faster and swimmers may have additional chances to qualify themselves for the NCAA meet.
Sophomore Cierra Runge said the meet will serve as a good run-through for the quickly approaching championship season.
“It’s going to be good to use this as a meet prep for Big Tens and NCAAs because it’s in that same format. Hopefully we’ll be able to throw down some good races and relays,” Runge said.
Individual swimmers to watch this weekend include freshman Camille Hodge, who swims both breaststroke and individual medley and sophomore Jess Unicomb, who has gotten NCAA provisional cuts in five events.
The Badgers get into the pool at 4 p.m. Friday at Notre Dame, and the meet will continue at 9 a.m. Saturday.
