Eagles open the season with the eighth annual Blue v. Orange World Championships
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn.- Carson-Newman swim is set to begin the 2023-24 season with the annual Blue v. Orange World Championships this Friday, Sep. 29.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn.- Carson-Newman swim is set to begin the 2023-24 season with the eighth annual Blue v. Orange World Championships this Friday, Sep. 29 at 6:00 p.m.
The Eagles will begin the 2023-24 season at home with the eighth annual Blue v. Orange World Championships, a competitive and spirited intrasquad event. The event will take place in the Maddox Student Activities Center (MSAC) on Friday, Sep. 29 at 6:00 p.m. Prior to last year's championships, the blue and orange intrasquad teams were locked in a 3-3 series tie. However, the seventh annual Blue vs. Orange Championships saw the blue team take the lead in the series (4-3) with a 283-250 victory over orange.
"This is always a really fun meet for us. It's an opportunity for us to have a little bit of friendly competition," head swim coach Ben Young said.
Last season began with a slew of standout performances during the intrasquad meet including Rachel Peden's first place finish in 200-yard freestyle (1:59.66). Manon Compagner also took home first in the 100-yard butterfly (56.49) and 50-yard freestyle (24.25). Both women have since graduated from Carson-Newman with a wealth of senior-year accolades.
"It's going to be very tough to top last year's season, but obviously that is the goal for us. We've still got plenty of talent on the team now. Even with all of the success last year, this will be an opportunity for us to see where we're at and to continue progressing until that becomes our standard," Young said.
The Blue v. Orange Championships will be the only meet prior to the opening of conference competition for the Eagles as well as the first-ever meet for Aaron Bauer as assistant coach and Matthew George as graduate assistant with C-N swim.
"Aaron is a good addition for us. He knows the program, he knows my standard, and he believes in that. Matt is the same way. Him coming back for his fifth year last year was really a big blessing for us. Aaron is the coach for the orange team, and Matt is the blue team coach, so it should be a really close meet again this year," Young said.
The Eagles will begin the regular season on Friday, Oct. 6 at 6:00 p.m. against Emory & Henry. The season spans over five months and extends further for those eligible for the NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships in mid-March.
"This season, for me, it's about being passionate, being positive, and being present. I think sometimes we show up passionate, and we try to stay positive, but we fall short on being present. We're always looking forward to conference, midseason, or something else ahead. So, I think it will be important to stay present in the moment and focused on where we are currently in the season. Are we working toward the end of the season? Absolutely, but being present with each practice, week, and cycle gives us the opportunity to focus in on what is important at that time," Young said.
The eighth annual Blue v. Orange World Championships are slated to begin this Friday at 6:00 p.m. Come out to support C-N swim, and stay up to date on cneagles.com.
