Swimming and Diving Takes on Florida State on Saturday

Jan. 15, 2009

The Clemson men’s and women’s swimming and diving team will travel to Tallahassee to take on the Florida State Seminoles in an ACC conference duel meet at 11:00 am on Saturday at the Bobby E. Leach Center. The Clemson women are 3-4 for the season (1-3 ACC). The men sit at a 2-5 overall record (0-4 ACC). The Seminoles are 6-2 (1-1 ACC), while the Florida State women are 7-4 for the season (2-1 ACC).

Florida State head coach Neil Harper will be looking for his 200th win with the Seminoles this weekend.

The Tigers hold a 5-10 all-time record against Florida State on the men’s side, with the women 2-8 all-time. Last year, the Clemson men upset #25 Florida State twice during the season, beating the Seminoles by eight points in a quad meet and by almost 50 points in a home meet.

The Lady Tigers dropped their first meeting with #20 Florida State last year, but turned an impressive showing during the second meeting, losing by just one point at home.

Clemson comes into the contest looking for their second win of 2009.

The #20 Florida State men currently hold the top mark in the ACC in eight of the sixteen dual-meet events. Clemson’s Tom Recko will take on Florida State’s Jarryd Botha in the 100-yard backstroke. Botha has the top ACC time so far this season with Recko only one spot behind.

Recko will team up with freshman Chris Dart to face Andy Hodgson in the 200-yard backstroke. Dart and Hodgson are familiar with one another, as they both competed in the British Olympic Trials last summer.

The women’s side will feature Clemson’s Michelle Parkhurst facing off with Jocelyn Phillps in the 200-yard freestyle. These two women hold two of the top three times in the ACC so far this season, and just fourteen one-hundredths of a second apart. Parkhurst will also take on freshman Stephanie Sarandos, currently second in the ACC, in the 200-yard backstroke. Maddie Tarantolo will show down with Florida State’s C.J. Hendry in the 100-yard butterfly. Nineteen one-hundredths of a second separate these two women in the ACC Top 20.

The Tigers will return home on Jan. 24 for their final home meet of the season against North Carolina State, also celebrating Senior Day. The meet will be broadcast on ACC Select and will start at noon in McHugh Natatorium.