Senior Karolina Bazylewicz |
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – After almost two weeks off from competition, the Niagara University men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams return to competition this weekend when they meet Loyola College, Marist College and Colgate University in the H2Ounds Invitational Friday and Saturday in Baltimore, Md. Competition begins at 5 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday.
Both Niagara squads will face their toughest competition of the year as the Marist and Loyola men finished second and third in the 2004 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship, and Colgate placed third in the Patriot League Championship. On the women’s side, Marist is the defending MAAC champion and Loyola was third. Colgate finished second the Patriot League.
The Purple Eagle men’s team will be protecting a 4-0 overall record and 4-0 mark in MAAC meets. Niagara beat Iona College, 126-105, in their last outing.
Loyola is 5-1 overall and 1-0 vs. league foes. In their last outing, the Greyhounds finished second in the Thomas Murphy Invitational, beating Howard and the Virginia Military Institute, but losing to Johns Hopkins.
Marist enters the meet with a 58-meet winning streak. At 4-0 overall and 3-0 in the MAAC, the Red Foxes beat Iona, 134-103, in their last outing Nov. 16.
Colgate snapped a four-meet losing streak with a 173-99 victory over New Hampshire Nov. 13.
In last year’s meet at Colgate, Niagara lost to Loyola, 274-16, Marist, 278-16, and Colgate, 279-16.
The Niagara women’s swimming and diving team had its six-meet winning streak snapped in its last outing, but sport a 6-4 overall and 5-2 MAAC mark.
Loyola is riding a six-meet winning streak after beating Johns Hopkins, Howard and VMI Nov. 13. Marist is 4-1 overall and 4-0 vs. league opponents.
Colgate will be looking for its first win of the season. The Raiders lost their sixth consecutive meet Nov. 13 when they lost 186.5-113.5 to New Hampshire.
Niagara was beaten by Loyola, 260-59, Marist, 261-65, and Colgate, 280-45, last year in Hamilton, N.Y.
