Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Swimming and Diving Ends Month-Long Layoff Saturday at Columbia
1/3/2013 7:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving
Jan. 3, 2013
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell swimming and diving teams will end their month-long layoff Saturday when they hit the road for the final time during the 2012-13 regular season for a dual meet at Columbia. The diving portion of the meet will begin at 12 p.m. at Columbia's Uris Pool, while the swimming competition will commence at 2 p.m.
While Bucknell has not competed since Dec. 1 when it swept a dual meet from Binghamton, the team members did take a weeklong training trip to Florida over the school's winter break.
Saturday's meet marks the final time Bucknell will be on the road this year. The Bison have four more regular-season events, which will all take place over the next month at Kinney Natatorium, which is also the site of the 2013 Patriot League Championships (Feb. 21-23).
The Bucknell men (4-2, 2-1 Patriot League) defeated Binghamton 171-128 on Dec. 1 behind two wins apiece by Ben Seketa and Erik Heinemann. The Bison are 2-2 away from Kinney Natatorium this season and will be looking for their first-ever win against the Lions. Columbia leads the all-time series 8-0. The two teams have met every year since 2004-05. Last year's meeting (129.5-111.5 Columbia win) was the closest in series history.
The Bucknell women (3-3, 2-1 Patriot League) posted a 215-85 win over Binghamton more than a month ago as eight different Bison won events in the dual. Bucknell's three wins this year have come by an average of nearly 146 points. The Bison are 0-6 all-time against Columbia in a series that began in 2005-06. The two teams did not face each other last year. The Lions won the last meeting (January 2011) by a 141.5-96.5 score.
Like Bucknell, both Columbia teams will be entering Saturday's meet coming off long layoffs. The men are 2-2 on the season, including 1-2 against Ivy League foes, and have not competed since finishing fifth at the Brown Invite the first weekend in December. The women are 1-2 overall with all three duals against Ivy League opponents. Their last competition was a 159-140 win at Penn on Dec. 7.
Bucknell will return to Patriot League action next weekend when it hosts Colgate (Jan. 11 at 10 a.m.) and Army (Jan. 12 at 1 p.m.).
Bucknell's Weekly Awards in 2012-13:
Patriot League Male Swimmer of the Week: Mike Nicholson (Oct. 22, Nov. 5)
Patriot League Female Diver of the Week: Katie Hetherington (Oct. 8, Nov. 19)
