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Red and White battle in-state foes

Drew McDonell, Staff Writer

The Miami University men's swimming and diving team will continue its season Nov. 12 as it heads to Columbus, Ohio to take on The Ohio State University (OSU) Buckeyes.

Assistant Coach Scott Usher sees the OSU match as a good opportunity for the team to gain more experience.

"It is early in the season and we have a really young team," Usher said. "As we compete in matches we really need to learn how to dig deep and win."

The RedHawks face tough competition as they take on the Big Ten powerhouse. The Buckeyes won the 2009-10 Big Ten championship and the team is already off to an undefeated season with two wins under its belt.

After Miami takes on OSU, the men's team will join the women's swimming and diving team in Gambier, Ohio. The RedHawks will swim against the Kenyon College Lords Nov. 13.

The Kenyon College men's team currently has a 1-1 season with a loss to OSU and win against Denison University. The Lords are one of the top NCAA Division III teams, winning the past 31 Division III championships.

The women's team will also take to the pool against the Lords. The upcoming opponent lost its first two matches against OSU and Denison University, but the RedHawks do not underestimate the Lords. The Kenyon College women's team is nationally known for its success in Division III swimming, winning 23 of the last 27 Division III titles.

Miami will be swimming in a meet style unlike the ones the teams typically swim, and sophomore Bekka Westrick sees this as the team's biggest feat.

"The biggest challenge will be adapting to a different meet format," Westrick said. "We are not swimming in any 100's this weekend besides the 100-free, so we are preparing to swim a little more mid-distance than we normally do."

The team has been working hard at practice preparing for its meet and hopes it pays off.

"A big goal this weekend for me and the team is to make sure that we are nailing our starts, turns and finishes," Westrick said.

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The men's team will compete against OSU at 3 p.m. Nov. 12, while both the men's and women's teams will take on Kenyon College at 2 p.m. Nov. 13.