Jayhawks set to host fifth-annual Kansas Classic
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas swimming and diving team welcomes in five different schools as the Jayhawks host the fifth-annual Kansas Classic, Nov. 17-19, at the Capitol Federal Natatorium at Hummer Sports Park in Topeka, Kansas.
KU will toe the blocks against Iowa State, Little Rock, Northern Iowa, North Texas and Omaha, as the team looks forward to its “mid-term” to conclude its fall slate of action.
“We treat our season like an academic year,” head coach Clark Campbell said. “Our year runs a little longer than a traditional semester, but we look at our competitive schedule and our dual meets are quizzes with our mid-term exam being the Kansas Classic and the final exam being the Big 12 Championship and NCAA meet. This weekend will give us a really good indication of where we are, just like a mid-term exam does in class.”
The three-day competition begins with preliminary heats in the morning each day, with those same event finals to be swum in the evening – the same format used for the NCAA Championships. Both Friday and Saturday’s prelims will start at 10 a.m., with finals at 6 p.m. Sunday’s competition will be held starting with prelims at 9 a.m., and finals to follow at 2:30 p.m.
In conjunction with the Kansas Classic, the divers will hold an invite of their own in Robinson Natatorium on Friday and Saturday, with prelims beginning at 12 p.m., and finals at 6 p.m., on both days.
“This is as close as we get to the Big 12 and NCAA Championship format until we get to that point in our season,” Campbell said. “It gives us a good idea and a really good evaluation point to see who responds well in a championship format. When you have three days of prelims and finals, and relays mixed in – it is a chance to see how one reacts and responds under those conditions. It really helps us have a good idea of where we can be at the end of the season.”
The top-two individual scorers from each team will be honored as part of the All-Invite Team, as well as the top scorer overall, who will be crowned the Invite’s Most Valuable Swimmer.
Based on the Jayhawks’ track record of a 3-1 mark in dual meets, they have a solid foundation as they enter this weekend’s invite.
“We want to get an idea of who will be on the Big 12 scoring team,” Campbell said. “The ‘quizzes’ tell us a little bit, but this weekend will tell us so much of how our team makeup is going to be and what we need to do in their training to adjust from what we have been doing. It is not just one or two people we are looking at, we are looking at all 22 swimmers and making sure we take care of business.”
The meet will feature championship scoring. Athletes may score in four individual events and on all relays. Championship A finals score as: 20-17-16-15-14-13-12-11; Championship B finals score as: 9-7-6-5-4-3-2-1; Relays score as: 40-34-32-30-28-26-24-22-18-14-12-10-8-6-4-2.
The Kansas Classic is free and open to the public. For more information, including directions, please visit the Meet Central Page.
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