Nebraska Travels to Minnesota Invitational

The Nebraska swimming and diving team will compete in its first invite of the season when the Huskers travel to Minneapolis this Friday for the Minnesota Invitational.

The invite is a three-day event that includes 12 teams, only one of which Nebraska has competed against this season, as the Huskers faced Iowa State in the Big 12 Relays on Oct. 15.

The event is hosted by the University of Minnesota, and four Big 10 Conference schools will compete, including Iowa, Wisconsin, Purdue and Minnesota. Rounding out the field is Iowa State, St. Olaf, Carleton, North Dakota, Gustavus Adolphus, St. Cloud State and South Dakota State. Of the participating teams, North Dakota will be competing in the diving competition only.

The Huskers are 3-0 in dual action this season, their best start since the 1997-98 season. NU began 2-0 last season before dropping a contest to Missouri, ranked No. 25 at the time. This year, the Huskers have defeated Soutwest Missouri State, Southern Illinois and Truman State. The only non-dual meet NU has competed in this season was the Big 12 Relays when it finished fifth.

The Huskers have made great strides through fourth-year Head Coach Pablo Morales. The 7-2 dual record last season was a big improvement from 2002-03 and Morales is very pleased with the performance so far this season.

"We're off to a great start. We want to keep that momentum going and continue to improve," said Morales. "Our girls have improved from a mental focus and physical performance standpoint. That's what we want to see going into a meet like the Minnesota Invite."

Sophmores Lauren Bailey and Kate Wheeler will lead the Huskers into this weekend's action, as both have made impressive performances through the first month of competition. Bailey has collected six wins in addition to her Devaney Center Pool record in the 1,000-yard freestyle last Saturday. Her time of 9:57.84 leads the Big 12 Conference so far this season. Wheeler has been just as impressive, compiling a

7-0 individual race record through three dual meets. She is ranked in the top 10 in the Big 12 Conference in three events, including sixth in the 200 free (1:51.16), fifth in the 500 free (4:56.93) and fourth in the 1,000 free (10:07.95).

Jeff DiNicola's diving squad has been equally impressive. The Huskers have three divers ranked in the top 10 in the conference in the one-meter competition. Becky Johnson sits sixth, while Amie Buoy and Danielle Stansbury are ninth and tenth. Buoy's highest ranking comes in the three-meter dual, where she is second in the Big 12. Becky Johnson is also ranked in three-meter at eighth.

"Everybody has performed and trained really well so far," Diving Coach Jeff DiNicola said. "This weekend will really show how far we have come. Everyone is where I expect them to be."

Last season, the Huskers finished in fourth place at the Minnesota Invite with 502.50 points. The finish was a major improvement from the team's 13th-place finish in 2002-03.

"There are some great teams there and it would be a great accomplishment if we could get in the top three," said Morales. "We haven't done anything special training wise this week but I do expect us to compete for a top spot."

Competition begins Friday at noon, followed by the finals at 6 p.m. Saturday's events are scheduled to start at 11 a.m., while the finals will again be at 6 p.m. Sunday's competition will start at 10 a.m., with the finals at 3 p.m. to round out the meet.