SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - The Shippensburg University swim teams will compete in the first of three home dual meets scheduled for the 2010-11 season at 6 p.m. Tuesday from Donald N. Miller Pool inside Heiges Field House. SU will be competing in its second meet of the young season, facing Bloomsburg.

WOMEN's PREVIEW:

The Shippensburg University women's swimming team had a breakthrough effort last season, leapfrogging five positions at the PSAC Championships to record a third-place finish in the league. It is a position that the Lady Raiders are looking to maintain for several years to come.

“We feel like we should definitely be among the Top 5 teams in the conference, and are shooting to once again be among the Top 3,” said coach Tim Verge - back at the helm of the program after one year as Shippensburg's acting assistant director of athletics. “I think we have the women to do that. We have a strong freshmen class that is small but talented, and I think we are going to be stronger in some areas than we have in the past.”

The team loses one key senior, Whitney Garner, but returns several All-Americans and a host of veteran versatile swimmers.

“There may be some areas right now where we don't look as strong on paper, but I think we have people that can step up and fill roles that can make a big difference in where we finish at the conference meet,” Verge said.

MEN's PREVIEW:

The Shippensburg University men's swimming team has finished among the Top 3 in the PSAC for each of the last five seasons and is looking to extend this streak with another outstanding campaign in 2010-11.

“We have a really good group coming back,” said coach Tim Verge - back at the helm of the program after one year as Shippensburg's interim assistant director of athletics. “We lost some really talented swimmers to graduation, but I think we brought in the people that can replace them.”

“We have pretty good versatility across the board. I think I will be asking some of our returners to focus on some different events than they have in the past to make up for some of the deficiencies that beset us with graduation, but I think it will be exciting and it is a challenge that they will rise to.”

“The big key for us is maintaining our success throughout the long season,” Verge said. “We want to
have that same focus and excitement at the end of February (for the PSAC Championships) that we do here at the beginning of the season. That will be the biggest challenge.”