HONOLULU – The University of Hawai`i men's and women's swimming and diving teams open the 2008-09 season at the Anteater Shootout hosted by UC Irvine. The two-day event takes place Nov. 7-8 in Irvine, Calif.

 

The Anteater Shootout will feature eight men's teams and 11 women's teams. The UH men will be scored in dual meets against Air Force, Cal Poly and UC Irvine. The top two teams from each pool will compete on Saturday.

 

The Rainbow Wahine will be scored in dual meets against Stanford, Cal Poly, Idaho, Pepperdine and UC Irvine. The top three teams from each pool will compete against each other Saturday.

 

The women's team returns several key swimmers from last year's team that finished third at the WAC Championships. Junior Emma Berry returns after winning three gold medals at the WAC Championships. Berry won the 200 free, 500 free and 1650 free. Along with Berry is team co-captain Elliko Heimbach returning for her senior year and sophomores Alyssa Manlow and Ricarda Schellenberg.

 

The Rainbow Warriors enter the season with one of the deepest teams in recent history. Head Coach Victor Wales' freshman class was ranked No. 14 nationally and adds to a young talented team returning. The men's team carries 14 freshmen, who look to make an immediate impact.

 

Last season sophomore Emma Friesen became the second UH diver to win the NCAA 1-meter championship. Friesen was named Tri-Diver of the Year for her accomplishment and also won the Joe Kearney Award, as the WAC's top female student-athlete. Friesen returns for her junior season in 2008-09.

 

Last season the men's team finished in second place at the Conference USA Championships, and hopes to make a push toward first-place SMU this season. The women's team finished in third place at the WAC Championships with a young talented squad. This year the team hopes to regain their spot near the top of the conference. The Conference USA Championships will be held Feb. 25-28 in Houston, Texas, while the WAC Championships will be held Feb. 25-28 in San Antonio, Texas.

 

Both teams return to the island to participate in the Hawai`i Senior Championships Nov. 14-16 at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex. Following the home event, the men's and women's diving teams will head to Austin, Texas to compete in the Texas Diving Invitational Dec. 4-6. The men's and women's swimming teams will participate in the Husky Invite in Federal Way, Wash on Dec. 5-7.