The last meet of the season for Ball State University's men's and women's swimming and diving team doesn't have junior Addison Del Rio worried, even though she won't be competing.
"I'm guaranteeing a victory - and you can quote me on that," Del Rio said. "I'm not going because I have night class, but we'll still win."
The meet, which starts at 6 p.m. against IUPUI, is the last chance the teams will have to compete against another school until the Mid-American Conference Championships starting Feb. 14 for the women and Feb. 22 for the men.
"This meet will be a morale boost for some people and a last chance to get a season-best time," co-coach Bob Thomas said. "For others, they will be trying to finish the season before MAC's. In either case, I expect them to swim well because of the facility and the level competition."
The facility is internationally known.
The competition pool at IUPUI's Natatorium is the current home of 11 world records and 90 American records, has eight competition lanes and, according to the Natatorium's Web site, holds approximately one million gallons of water. The diving well, which is a separate facility than the pool, has eight springboards and five diving platforms and is 17.2 feet deep.
"It's a world-class facility," co-coach Laura Seibold-Caudill said. "It's a fast pool and at the end of the year, it is our chance to put up some fast times and compete against a good team."
Seibold-Caudill has high expectations of the diving team, but said she isn't sure what to expect from IUPUI.
"I've seen results from meets, but I'm just not sure about them," she said. "We have the ability to sweep women's diving, but that doesn't mean we will. We just have to be consistent."
Perhaps the most positive aspect of the team this year has been the participation of the freshman class. Thomas said, on the women's side, that Katie Jasmon, Kelly Johnson, Mary Ehresman and Sarah Kehe all have the potential to be leaders for the team in the next few seasons.
"Right now, they are all in the silent majority - I guess that would be the best way to describe it," he said. "If they do what it takes during summer conditioning, they'll be a part of a nice group to start with and hopefully will be able to mold into a championship team."
The men's team also has a large number of freshmen, and Thomas added that the team will retain talent for next season.
"We have a great returning class but we are losing some great seniors too," Thomas said. "At this point, there's still a lot of questions that have yet to be decided."
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