BAKERSFIELD, Calif.- The CSU Bakersfield swimming and diving teams continue with the home stretch of the 2014-15 season as both the men and women will host meets on Jan. 6. The 'Runner men will take on fellow Western Athletic Conference member UNLV while the women will compete in a non-conference tri meet against UNLV and Fresno State.

CSUB Director of Swimming, Chris Hansen, relishes the opportunity to take on both schools on Tuesday: “It's exciting that we can even say we can race these teams.” On the women's side, Hansen expects a good fight from his 'Runners: “We might be down in numbers, but we can win a lot of events to make both these meets very close. In order to have some victories, the entire team will need to help Carlee Burks, Lauren Kaufman, Michaela Paige, Delise Batiza, and Paola Hernandez. We cannot just rely on these ladies to win events. The entire team will need to step up. I believe this team can take on the challenge.” The 'Runner women are coming off of a tough loss against San José State this past Saturday and hope to rebound with good results.

For the men, Hansen believes the Rebels will represent a tough challenge, but looks forward to seeing how his 'Runners can rise to the occasion: “We are excited to swim WAC foe UNLV. Unfortunately, we could be missing some key players with Lovre Soric, Mario Vasquez, and Brett Emery all out with injuries. This will make it hard to compete with such a strong team; however, we are looking forward to seeing Mitchell Huxhold and Gabriel Bertrand show the Rebels what they will be up against in February.” The 'Runners will meet the Rebels again, Feb.25-28 in San Antonio for the WAC Championships.

The meet on Tuesday starts at 1 p.m. here at the Hillman Aquatics Complex on the CSU Bakersfield campus. Admission, as always for swimming and diving events, is free for fans and parking is free during athletic events this year courtesy of the Athletic Department. Don't forget that Tuesday is also the Operation Gratitude Collection Drive, hosted by CSUB Swimming and Diving. For more information on the drive and how you can help out, click here.

~www.GoRunners.com~