Swimming and diving kicks off new season
10/13/1998 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Swimming and diving kicks off new season
10/13/1998
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh men's and women's swimming and diving teams will begin their 1998-99 campaign with the Blue/Gold Intrasquad competition this Saturday, Oct. 17, beginning at 9 a.m. in Trees Pool. Admission is free.
"We encourage everyone, especially the students, to come up before the football game to watch their Panthers as they open their season," said Men's Head Coach Chuck Knoles. "It will be a rare opportunity to see everyone on the team swim in a competition and should be a lot of fun."
The men's swimming and diving team begins its 81st season in search of a 14th Big East Conference championship. Top returners include sophomore Steve Siler (Westmont, Ill./Westmont), who won his first Big East championship title in the 200 backstroke last season with a season-best time of 1:46.98. Siler has been chosen by United States Swimming to compete in the World Cup Meet being held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in November.
The women's team enters its 24th season under head coach Marian Cassidy Keen. The women finished third in last year's Big East championships, and hope to improve with the help of junior Beth Grube (Drexel Hill, Pa./Upper Darby). Grube holds three individual school records in the 50, 100, and 200 backstroke events. She is also a member of the 200 medley relay team that set a school record last season with a time of 1:44.78.
Junior Jamie Tomazich (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) leads the diving team with All-America honors, as well as third place finishes in both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events at last year's Big East championships.