Tampa Swimming set for Spartan Invite
CLEARWATER, Fla. - The University of Tampa men's and women's swimming program is set to host its sixth annual Spartan Invite, which will include six schools competing over four days at The Long Center in Clearwater.
The 2021 Spartan Invitational will feature morning prelims and evening finals Friday, Dec 17 through Monday, Dec 20. Prelims will begin at 10:00 a.m., each day, and finals start at 6 p.m.
In addition to the Spartans, Sunshine State Conference opponents Nova Southeastern University and Saint Leo University will also compete. The remainder of the field includes Indian River State College, Lenoir-Rhyne University, and the University of West Florida (women only).
Several of the nation's top teams will be represented, as the UT women are No. 10 nationally while its men come in at No. 20. Nova Southeastern enters at No. 7 in the women's rankings and No. 16 in the men's rankings. Indian River will also compete, representing the NJCAA as a perennial powerhouse.
The Long Center, located at 1501 North Belcher Road in Clearwater, boasts an Olympic-sized indoor pool and a heated training pool. The multipurpose facility has hosted major events including the US Water Polo Open Championships, Speedo Champions Swimming Series, AAU Swimming & Diving National Championships, Clearwater Aquatics Team Junior Olympics and the Canadian College Volleyball Winter Training. Click here for directions to The Long Center.
The facility is a 10-lane, 50-meter by 20-lane, 25-yard pool that varies in depth from 12 feet at the start end to four feet at the turn end. A separate three-lane, 25-yard pool will be available for continuous warm-up and warm-down throughout the meet. The meet will take place in a single 8-lane, 25-yard course for both the Preliminary and Finals sessions. There is permanent bleacher seating available for 294 people along with an additional standing-room-only section directly behind the bleachers for viewing the competition. Colorado Timing System will be used in conjunction with Hy-Tek software.
UT will offer a free video-only broadcast of the Finals on each day through TampaSpartans.tv. Live scoring will be available through the Meet Mobile app.
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