Tampa Swimming Set to Host Keiser
TAMPA, Fla. – The University of Tampa men's and women's swimming teams are set to host their first and only home meet of the season on Saturday against Keiser University. This marks the Spartans second straight top 25 opponent of the season.
Men's Matchup: No. 6 University of Tampa Spartans vs. No. 1 (NAIA) Keiser University Seahawks
Women's Matchup: No. 6 University of Tampa Spartans vs. No. 1 (NAIA) Keiser University Seahawks
Date/Time: Saturday, January 30 at 10:30 a.m.
Location: UT Aquatics Center || 507 UT University Drive || Tampa, Fla. 33606
Last Time Out: The Spartans marked their return to competition for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic when they traveled to Florida Statue University to compete against the Seminoles and North Florida. Overall, the team had three first-place finishes.
About the Spartans: The 2020 Sunshine State Conference Champion Spartan Men are 0-1 on the season after suffering a loss to Florida State. The team has several returning All-Americans including Hugo Bustamante, Jared Fitzgerald, Mikael Haugen, Gabe Parnell, and Yannick Smith. Freshmen Ian Morgan, Noah Paut, and Yigit Saglam, plus newcomer Angelo Russo are already making an impact for Tampa by finishing in the top three in events last meet.
The Tampa Women are coming into the meet with a 1-1 record, beating North Florida, and suffering a loss to Florida State. Julia Augustsson and 2020 SSC Swimmer of the Year Courtney Sherwood helped the Spartans secure the victory both with first place finishes. In addition to Augustsson, and Sherwood, the Spartans have eight other returning All-Americans including Elizaveta Bazarova, Megan Goldthorpe, Lindsey Grater, Maureen Moore, Anja Oca, Carlee Sanchez-Hegarty, Jessie Tobin, and Hana van Loock. The 2020 SSC runner ups are joined by a trio of forceful freshman, Madysen Barnes, Roma Vrijhof, and Johanna Koether, all of who placed in the top three of their races.
About the Seahawks: Keiser is 1-0 in dual meets this season, beating Thomas University. KU's men recorded the fastest times in the NAIA in the 400 medley relay, 100 freestyle, 1000 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, and 200 butterfly. The Seahawks also placed first at the Asbury Invitational. Guillermo Perosanz led the way for the KU men racking up seven first place finishes between both meets. Lilly Robinson, now holds the NAIA record for the 100 breaststroke, and won five events for the Keiser women between the two meets.
Matchup History: Last time the Spartans and Seahawks squared off, the Tampa men won with a score of 145-60, and the women won 147.5-57.5.
Tampa Seniors: UT will recognize its seniors prior to the meet, which includes a group of six men and nine women competing in their final meet at the UT Aquatics Center. The men's seniors include Fitzgerald, George Jabbour, Andreas Johnsen, Youssef Khowessah, Russo, and Smith. The women's seniors are Bazarova, Jessica Blanchard, Sara-Kellett Clark, Emily Clesen, Moore, Emily Pfeifer, Francesca Rusca, Emily Schlosser, Tobin, and van Loock.
Tickets: No spectators will be permitted. Fans may watch for free by visiting the University of Tampa Athletics Facebook page. In addition, fans can view live scoring on the MeetMobile app.
Follow UT Athletics: For the latest on Tampa Swimming be sure to follow the team on Twitter (@TampaSwimming), and Instagram (@utampa_swim). In addition, follow @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube for more on the Spartans.
Text Alerts: UT also offers a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events. To sign up, please register at www.tampaspartans.com.
Front Row: Download the official app of UT Athletics on the Apple App Store or Google Play. Look for Tampa Spartans Front Row app to receive notifications from your favorite Spartan teams. The app is completely free.