No. 18 Arkansas to host North Texas

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The No. 18-ranked University of Arkansas swimming and diving team will open the second half of its season Saturday at 10 a.m., when it hosts North Texas at Arkansas Natatorium.

The Razorbacks (4-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) return to competition after a five-week break in the schedule. The extended training time allowed Arkansas to prepare for the Mean Green (6-3), who are ranked No. 11 in the CSCAA/CollegeSwimming.com Mid-Major Division I poll. The Hogs hold a 6-0 all-time record against North Texas.

"We are looking forward to our first meet of the second half against North Texas," Arkansas coach Jeff Poppell said. "Joe Dykstra has been coaching there for four years now and he has done a great job with that program. They have improved leaps and bounds from where they were three years ago. We are excited about having them in, as this meet will be a precursor to what we will see the rest of the season.

"I feel like if you are not competing going into a meet like the SEC Championships, you tend to get a little stale and that is what these meets leading into SECs will do for us in terms of dual meet competition. Giving us opportunities to stay sharp and compete against great competition, which we will definitely see come February."

Arkansas racked up seven events wins on the way to a 237-63 victory in its last meeting with the Mean Green, at the Mean Green Duals Nov. 8, 2008, at Pohl Recreation Center in Denton, Texas. Senior Leah Pierce claimed victory in the 100-yard and 200y breaststroke, and junior Jamie Marks took second in both the 200y butterfly and 1,000y freestyle and touched in third in the 200y individual medley.

The Arkansas Natatorium is located on the corner of Stadium Drive and Meadow Street within the Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) Building. Lot 67 off of Meadow Street between Razorback Road and Stadium Drive is available to fans free of charge on weekends. Admission is free.For complete results and a recap of Saturday’s meet, please visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com. A live stream of the contest as well as live stats will also be available on the site.

Download: 1-5 North Texas.pdf