KU to Host North Dakota and Big 12 Rival TCU

Meet Card (.pdf)

LAWRENCE, Kan.—The Kansas swimming and diving team hosts its first Big 12 rival, TCU, and Western Athletic Conference member North Dakota in a double-dual on Saturday, November 1 at 1 p.m. in its home pool, Robinson Natatorium.

The meet presents a challenge for the Jayhawks who fell to TCU last year, 176-124, on the road, but defeated the Horned Frogs during their last trip to Lawrence in 2012. Additionally, North Dakota enters with a 6-1 dual meet record, with the team’s only loss to top-fifteen foe Minnesota.

The second home meet of the season gives the team a chance to improve on its current 2-1 record after winning against Missouri State but losing to Denver October 24-25. Kansas won just five events but placed among the top-two in 14 different events, including wins by Chelsie Miller in the 200-yard butterfly, 200-yard IM and 500-yard freestyle and Haley Molden in the 200-yard freestyle. Graylyn Jones qualified for NCAA Zone Diving Championships with a career-best 271.90 to win the one-meter dive.

“We’d like to see them progress from where they were last weekend,” Campbell said of his expectations for the weekend. “Last week we had a really good meet. I was very happy with the performances, even though we got beat by Denver we still swam at a very high level.

“Comparing our performances from October 2013 to October 2014, we’re way above where we were at last year, which is very encouraging. We want to continue taking steps forward and get the victory, but more importantly we want to swim at an even higher level than last week.”

Similar to the Denver and Missouri State double-dual, the TCU and North Dakota teams will be bringing their men’s teams to compete. A total of eight pool records—six men’s and two women’s—were taken down in Robinson Natatorium last weekend.

North Dakota brings a pair of top-50 women’s relay teams to Robinson in the 400-yard medley and 200-yard freestyle relay. Although there’s no 200-free relay scheduled for Saturday, the freestyle relays could be tightly contested events as KU swam a time of 1:36.11 in the 200-free relay last weekend, 39th in the country, and North Dakota swam a 1:36.33 earlier this season, 42nd in the country. In the diving pool, TCU’s Kristen Connolly scored a 284.55 to qualify for the Zone Championship and should challenge Jones and the KU divers for the top spot on the one-meter board.

Wins and losses aside, at this point in the season, Campbell and the Jayhawks are looking to have the right mindset and establish good habits.

 “This week, we have to have a really good week of training,” Campbell said. “We’ll have to get into the competitive mindset starting around Friday night. During dual meet season, it’s a mental thing. The training part is up and down. Sometimes you feel great, other times you not so much. You just have to get your mind right. If you get your mind right, the body will follow.”

All events for the Jayhawks at Robinson Natatorium are open to the public and admission is free.

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