FAIRFAX, Va. – The Towson University swimming and diving teams travel to George Mason this weekend for a two-day meet that also features Northeastern's women's team.
 
Meet Coverage
The dual meet will take place at Jim McKay Natatorium. Action will begin at 4 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. on Saturday.
 
The Series
This will be the 20^th meeting between the Tigers and Patriots on both the men's and women's sides. The Tiger men are seeking their seventh win in the series. Towson's women hold a 17-2 advantage over the Patriots. This will be the fifth meeting between the Tiger women and Northeastern. The Tigers have won all four of the previous matchups against the Huskies.
 
Mid-Major Rankings
The Tiger squads have found spots on CollegeSwimming's Division I Mid-Major rankings. The Tiger men moved up to the No. 17 spot on the men's rankings while the women are in at the No. 31 spot on the women's rankings.
 
The Patriot men are ranked 32^th in the Men's Division I Mid-Major rankings, while the women are unranked. Northeastern hold the No. 47 spot on the Women's Division I Mid-Major rankings. 
 
First Place Finishes Key
The Tiger women used first place finishes to defeat Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) rival William & Mary on Saturday, winning nine of the 16 events. Along with securing the meet win, the women recorded 25 top-three finishes. The men won seven events and posted 18 top-three finishes in the close loss to the Tribe.
 
This season, the Tiger women have combined for 28 event victories and 97 top-three finishes. The men have tallied 29 events wins and 83 top-three finishes.
 
Swimming among the Best
Two Tigers hold top times among Division I swimmers this season. Jack Saunderson's time of 48.29 in the 100-yard butterfly, an NCAA 'B' cut time recorded against Georgetown, ranks 21^st among Division I swimmers. His time of 1:47.89 in the 200-yard butterfly, attained last weekend against William & Mary, is the 22^nd fastest time by a Division I swimmer this season. Will Dougherty also holds a top spot among Division I swimmers in the 1000-yard freestyle, recording a time of 9:23.92 against the Tribe, the 41^st fastest time. The Tiger 400-yard medley relay of Zach Bishop, Ryan O'Leary, Saunderson and Nick Essing that timed 3:25.57 against Georgetown is the 35^th fastest time by a Division I relay this season.
 
Among CAA swimmers this season, the Towson men have recorded 38 top 10 performances with 23 of those times logged against William & Mary last weekend. Saunderson holds the top time in the CAA for the 100- and 200-yard butterflies. Dougherty's is the fastest conference swimmer for the 500- and 100-yard freestyle. Breschi has the best CAA time for the 100-yard backstroke. The 400-yard medley relay team of Bishop, O'Leary, Saunderson and Essing is the fastest combination in the CAA.
 
The Tiger women have recorded 23 top 10 performances among CAA swimmers this season. The Tigers posted 16 of those performances against William & Mary last weekend. Ashley Illenye is the top ranked conference swimmer for the 500- and 1000-yard freestyle this season. Jacy Icard holds the top spots for the 50- and 100-yard backstrokes in the CAA. Kendall Krumenacker has the fastest time among CAA swimmers for the 200-yard backstroke and 200-yard individual medley.
 
On the women's side, Jacy Icard has the top time in the CAA for the 50- and 100-yard backstrokes. Ashley Illenye is the top ranked conference swimmer for the 1000-yard freestyle. The Tiger women have posted 23 top 10 performances in the CAA this season.
 
Better at Home
The Tigers swim exceptionally well inside the friendly confines of Burdick Pool. With the win on Saturday over William & Mary, the women have won 21 straight dual meets, with their last loss coming against Maryland on Jan. 7, 2012. Over the last five seasons, the Tiger women are 21-1 at home. The men's squad is 17-7 over the last five season at home.
 
I'm Honored
Six Tigers have been recognized for their success this season in the pool. On the women's side, Kelsey Jehl earned CAA Female Diver of the Week honors twice while Krumenacker was named CAA Co-Women's Swimmer of the Week. In addition, Emily Wilson has picked up TowsonTigers.com Female Student-Athlete of the Week accolades.
 
Saunderson leads the men's side with four recognitions this season, earning CAA Swimmer of the Week and TowsonTigers.com Male Student-Athlete of the Week honors. He has also been named CollegeSwimming.com's CAA Male Swimmer of the Week twice. Breschi picked up TowsonTigers.com Male Student-Athlete of the Week honors and Dougherty earned CollegeSwimming.com's CAA Male Swimmer of the Week accolades.
 
Fresh Faces
Fans will see a number of new faces on the pool deck this season. The men's team added seven freshmen to its roster and the women's team added nine freshmen. In addition, the program has two new faces on the coaching staff. Ryan Hunt enters his first season as the Tigers' diving coach and Jaime Keily has been added as an assistant coach.