Sept. 8, 2009

CHICAGO - A season with local and regional foes on tap will culminate in familiar waters as the UIC swimming and diving team is set to host the 2010 Horizon League Championships to bookend the 2009-10 schedule, which was released on Tuesday.

The season opens at home for the Flames on Friday, Oct. 23 against Wright State, before they trave to Eastern Illinois the following weekend for a Halloween meet.

UIC will host North Dakota at the UIC Natatorium in a pair of back-to-back competitions, starting with a dual on Friday, Nov. 6. Both teams will be part of a quadrangular competition featuring Milwaukee and Butler on Saturday, Nov. 7.

The Flames continue a solid string of weekend meets in November with a trip up to Northwestern on Saturday, Nov. 14. UIC then will close out the month the weekend of Nov. 20-22 with half of the squad venturing down to the University of Chicago Invitational in Hyde Park while the others trek back to Evanston for the TYR Invitational, with the host Wildcats, Division III powerhouse Kenyon College as well as Big Ten power Michigan and Michigan State set to compete.

Western Illinois will visit the Windy City in the final meet of 2009 on Dec. 19, and the squad's competition schedule will remain dormant until their yearly training trip the first week in January.

2010 will take the Flames to Green Bay on Jan. 16 in their first competition following the training trip. A matchup with Valparaiso will mark the final regular season competition at the UIC Natatorium, and will also serve as Senior Day to honor and celebrate the class of 2010.

A matchup with Cleveland State and Youngstown State on February 6 will serve as the final preparation for the Flames before hosting the 2010 Horizon League Championships from Feb. 24-27. The Championships will see the men's squad look to defend their 2009 crown, while the women's team aims to improve upon their fourth place finish last season.

"We begin with the always formidable Wright State, which we hope will set a positive tone for the season," said head coach Paul Moniak. "The schedule also features a mid-season, split-squad invitational with the goal of enhancing our Horizon League Championship performance."

The 2009-10 squad has over 13 school record holders returning for the upcoming campaign, including Brian Anderson, Zach Van Swol, Evan Dunn, and Andrew Schmitt on the men's side while the women are paced by Kayla Redig, Clair Martin and Sarah Walsh.

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