CHICAGO, Ill. – The 2016-17 Illinois Tech men’s and women’s swimming and diving schedules have been released. It features four home events, five road meets, and the second annual Ted Erikson Invite on December 3.
“Our schedule for 2016-17 is packed with some great competitions,” said Head Coach Kyllian Griffin. “Each dual meet is a great way for our team to prepare for the end of the season. Every swim, from our first meet to our last, is an opportunity to fine tune our races so that we are fully ready to compete at our best for the Liberal Arts Championship.”
The Scarlet Hawks will open the season at home for the first time in three seasons. Tech hosts one of the LAC’s top teams, Franklin College, on October 22 at 1:00 p.m. in Keating Sports Center’s Ekco Pool. Franklin finished first on the men’s side and second on the women’s side at the Liberal Arts Championships last February.
Tech will compete twice more at home in the month of November, as Loras College visits on November 5 before Illinois Wesleyan University and Carthage College come to Chicago on November 12. The Scarlet Hawks will also participate in the Ted Mullin Hour of Power on November 8 to raise money and awareness for sarcoma research.
The month of November closes out with Tech’s annual trip to the Phoenix Fall Classic at the University of Chicago from November 18-20. Both Scarlet Hawk teams were strong at the meet last season, with the men placing second and women placing fourth in an eight-team meet.
December 3 will mark the date of the second annual Ted Erikson Invite at Illinois Tech. Both Scarlet Hawk teams won the event last year, which is dedicated to one of Illinois Institute of Technology’s most successful alumnus.
“Ted is the most dedicated swimmer that I’ve ever met,” said Griffin. “His passion for Illinois Tech and this team is unprecedented. It is our privilege to be able to honor him and his son, Jon, for their dedication to Illinois Tech and to this sport.”
The Scarlet Hawks will compete in three road meets in January in preparation for the Liberal Arts Championships. Tech will travel to Lawrence University (January 14), Carroll University (January 21), and Lake Forest College (January 28) to round out the month’s schedule.
This season’s Liberal Arts Championships will once again take place at Principia College in Elsah, Illinois in early February. The four-day meet is slated to take place from February 8-11. Illinois Tech’s women placed fifth out of 12 teams last season, while the men finished fourth out of nine.