BAKERSFIELD, Calif.-- The annual A3 Performance Invitational is set to get started this week and CSU Bakersfield's men's and women's swimming teams are prepared to tackle the competition. The meet hosted by UC San Diego kicks off Thursday, Nov. 19, and runs through Saturday, Nov. 21, in Monterey Park, Calif.
The Roadrunner men have been preparing for the highly competitive meet for almost a month while the women have been training since their dual against Idaho on Halloween. CSUB put together a strong set of performances at the invitational a year ago and Chris Hansen, Director of Swimming for the 'Runners, expects his squads to do the same this season.
“The men will have some strong competition with Stanford, USC, Hawai'i, UC San Diego, UCSB, Cal Poly, and Pacific in attendance,” said Hansen. “We will have to swim fast in the morning so we can have a good showing in prelims. This a big meet for us, as coaches, to determine some moves we need to make coming into second quarter.”
Hansen went on to comment on the top 'Runners who will look to make a splash in Southern California: “It will be fun seeing Lovre Soric, Bryce Timonera, Justice Kramer, Christopher Salcido and Mihael Vukic battle some of the best with Stanford being in the house. These men are seeded very well in their events. I expect this is going to be the meet where this really strong men's team gels together and does something very special.”
For the 'Runner women, Hansen hopes his group of veterans will lead a young squad against some of the nation's best student-athletes: “The women's side is also very strong and deeper than the men's side. Fresno State, Hawai'i, Cal Poly, USC, UCLA, Pacific, UCSB, UCSD, LMU, Pepperdine, and San Jose State will all be competing. We are such a young team and we can't let nerves get in our way. The freshmen will need to concentrate on what they need to do and not what the big names are doing. They are lucky to have Nicolette Goncalves, Paola Hernandez, Dylana Milobar, and Chrisy Vo to be their leaders.”
The A3 Performance Invitational will run all day for each of the three days of competition. For a breakdown of each days' events, ticket prices, links to live results, and much more information, visit the Meet Central page.
~GoRunners.com~
