The Panther swimmers will continue to ride a wave of momentum this weekend as they entertain a pair of opponents, matching up with Indiana University/Purdue University- Indianapolis and Missouri State respectively in dual meets.

Panther coach Matt Bos said the team is just starting to back off of their training volume in preparation for the Summit League Championship meet in three weeks. The meet will take place in IUPUI’s home pool in Indianapolis, Ind.

Bos said Wednesday it was the first day the team had decreased the yardage of their practice in order to allow the swimmers’ bodies recover to full strength for the conference championships.

“We’re really just starting to back off today,” Bos said on Wednesday afternoon. “This weekend the big thing is we’ve kind of limited a lot of people in events. We don’t really want to overwork them as far as the competitions go.”

Bos went on to say that the meet with IUPUI and the recently added Saturday morning showdown with Missouri State is going to be key in preparing for the competition atmosphere that is expected on Feb. 16 to19.

“The meet against IUPUI is really just about sharpening up on some things,” Bos said. “Getting some people in maybe an event that they haven’t been able to get in a whole lot this year. Overall we’re just in that preparation stage now for the Summit League Championships.”

Bos said the chance to race against live competition is also a key focus for the Panthers this weekend.

“This is a good opportunity to get up and race here,” Bos said. “We have three weeks to go (until the Summit League Championships), so it should be a good meet.”

The Panthers will also have a positive point in the fact that today’s meet will be against a conference opponent whom they’ll be competing against in their conference championships.

“At this point it’s good just because a lot of those spots you’re fighting, the top eight go to the championship final at the conference meet,” Bos said. “Nine through 16 go to the consolation so you score 16 people and these are some of the same people you’re going to be battling with for one of those spots. All those spots is worth points, so it’s really key to see where they (IUPUI) are at this point in the season and what they look like.”

The Panthers will take on IUPUI today at 3 p.m. in Padovan Pool at Lantz Arena, and Missouri State at 10 a.m. Saturday in the same venue. They will then have their final dual meet of the season next Saturday against Saint Louis, with first splash scheduled for 11:30 a.m. in Padovan Pool.

Following this the Panthers will not see competitive action again until Feb. 16-19 in Indianapolis when they compete in the Summit League Championships.

Brad Kupiec can be reached at 581-7944 or bmkupiec@eiu.edu

Sophomore freestyle swimmer Hailey Foss practices in Padovan Pool Jan. 22 at Lantz Arena. Eastern will host dual meets with IUPUI at 3:30 p.m. Friday and Missouri State at 10 a.m. Saturday. (Kimberly Foster/The Daily Eastern News)

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