The Eastern men’s and women’s swim teams are excited for their second road meet of the early season as they will travel north to the windy city and compete against Illinois-Chicago on Saturday.

The men are coming off a loss at IUPUI, but the confidence level remains high and the women look to add a second victory to their year after a win against Butler this past Friday.

The head coach of both teams, Elliott McGill, said the swimmers are looking forward to this meet.

“Training in the same facilities for so long makes the road trip something to look forward to,” McGill said. “They get excited and the anticipation builds up as we get closer to the time of the meet.”

Eastern’s opposition will be a test to the young group of swimmers.

Both the men and the women have focused on relays during practice this week, McGill said, trying to tighten up all the small intricacies, such as the starts and turns during the races.

The Flames men’s and women’s teams also started off the year on the road, coming out of Fairborn, Ohio, with a win over Wright State, earning wins with final matching scores of 176-122.

“We primarily worry about us and how we can improve after every meet,” McGill said. “We rarely ever think about the other team.”

The Flames sport a group of freshmen, which were integral parts to the team’s victory in Ohio.

Of the 10 first place finishes for Illinois-Chicago, five of them came from freshmen.

The women’s team recorded the best times in all but three of the 16 events they competed in.

McGill said his expectations for his freshmen have only been raised after the first meet.

“After the first meet I told them (freshmen) they are no longer freshmen, they are now one day closer to being a sophomore, and that is what I am considering them as,” McGill said. “I look forward to seeing them step up.”

One aspect that remains strong for the Eastern swim teams is the leadership shown by the seniors on both teams.

The coach said the seniors have been phenomenal creating a good culture with the younger swimmers and have developed a different kind of excitement that is unique to this year’s team.

The meet is set to begin at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Flames Natatorium in Chicago.

Aldo Soto can be reached at 581-2812 or asoto2@eiu.edu.