WASHINGTON (January 5, 2018) – After more than a month away from the pool, Coach Nicholas Askew and the Howard University Men's & Women's Swimming & Diving teams return to the pool Saturday (Jan. 6). HU goes to Baltimore where they will meet UMBC and Vermont. The action starts 2 p.m.
 
MEET PREVIEW
 
HOWARD
 
HU (6-2) men look to keep the momentum going after winning the Yellow Jacket Invitational a month ago. Howard takes on UMBC in a dual meet. Sophomore Sidrell Williams and freshmen Darrin Asphall and Austin Rogers have each won Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) weekly honors this season.
 
Howard (4-4) women enter Saturday after finishing fifth at the Yellow Jacket Invitational in early December. This year, junior KaSandra Kaplan has been named the CCSA Female Swimmer of the Week twice while breaking multiple school records. Freshman diver Christian Nickolas is another athlete to watch.
 
UMBC
 
UMBC men look to shake off the rust after not seeing the pool since Thanksgiving. In their last meet, sophomore Ilia Rattsev set a Patriot Invitational record while guiding the squad to a fifth-place finish. Three days later (Nov. 21), he was named America East Male Swimmer of the Week.
 
This season, UMBC women are 2-2 in dual meets and most recently competed in George Mason's Patriot Invitational in November, placing seventh out of nine schools with 261 points. Junior Hania Moro and freshman Natalija Marin have combined to win three America East Female Swimmer of the Week awards this season.
 
VERMONT
 
In November, Vermont (4-2) women finished fourth overall out of eight teams at Boston University's annual Terrier Invitational with 530 points in the three-day competition. Haley Tomlinson won the America East Diver of the Week award following the Terrier Invitational, earning fifth place in the 3-meter dive in Boston with a score of 226.70.
 
Vermont does not have a men's swimming & diving team.
 
LAST MEET
 
Over a month ago (Dec. 1-2), the men's swim team held on to win the 2017 Yellow Jacket Invitational. HU edged out Washington College, 1333.5-1323.5. Williams won the men's 100 freestyle with a 45.22 time while Asphall earned the top spot in the men's 1650 freestyle, posting a 16:27.90 mark.
 
On the women's side, HU placed fifth at the Yellow Jacket Invitational where they scored 921 points over the two-day event. Kaplan won the women's 100 butterfly with a 57.40 mark whereas senior Danielle Brown claimed the top spot in the women's 200 butterfly, posting a 2:13.34 time.
 
In those two days, Howard set 93 season-best records, 23 new Top Ten entries, eight school records, and two meet records.
 
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
 
Saturday (Jan. 13), the men host New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) on Youth Day. Meet time is set for 1 p.m.
 
A week later (Jan. 19), both squads square off against Marymount on Senior Night. The action begins 6 p.m. inside Burr Pool.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.