MIAMI (Aug. 24, 2016) – Coming off the program's second-straight Conference USA crown, Head Coach Randy Horner announced the FIU swimming and diving team's 2016-17 schedule on Wednesday.  
 
The Panthers, which registered the most-decisive victory in C-USA Championship history last season, begin their quest for a third-straight championships on Sept. 30 at the University of Miami.
 
"We have a good mix of challenges this season," Horner said. "We open up against our cross town rival Miami before heading out on the road for a very competitive field at this year's Dual-A-Palooza.  The Louisville Invite is a new meet to us and should be a good challenge to post some mid-season times.  Everything will be focused to prepare us to defend our C-USA title and prepare for the NCAA's in March."
 
In all, FIU will compete in 11 meets with seven taking place at the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center.
 
After traveling to Houston, Texas, to take part in Dual-A-Palooza (Oct. 14-15) which features a challenging field in Rice (No. 28 mid-major), Tulane (No. 18 mid-major) and Denver (No. 26), the Panthers return to the Sunshine State for their home opener, hosting Nova Southeastern and Indian River State in a Tri-Meet (Oct. 21).  
 
A trip to Louisville, Kentucky, for the Louisville Invitational (Nov. 18-20) highlights the month of November. The Panthers close out the calendar year with a pair of meets (vs. Georgia Southern on Dec. 15 and vs. Yale and Cornell on Dec. 29).
 
Following a date in the Orange Bowl Swim Classic (Jan. 3) in Key Largo, Florida, the Panthers will host three-straight home meets to close out the regular season. FIU hosts intra-state rival Florida Gulf Coast (No. 31) on Jan. 28, and C-USA Florida Atlantic for Senior Day on Feb. 4.
 
The 2017 C-USA Swimming and Diving Championships will take place Feb. 22-25 from Georgia Tech's McAuley Aquatics Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

2016-17 FIU Swimming & Diving Schedule

Date (Day)	Opponent	Site	Time (ET)
Sept. 30 (Fri.)	University of Miami	Coral Gables, Fla.	6:00 p.m.
Oct. 14-15 (Fri.-Sat.)	Dual-a-Palooza (Rice/Tulane/Denver)	Houston, Texas	TBA
Oct. 21 (Fri.)	Nova Southeastern/Indian River	Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center	TBA
Nov. 5 (Sat.)	North Florida	Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center	TBA
Nov. 18-20 (Fri.-Sun.)	Louisville Invitational	Louisville, Ky.	TBA
Dec. 15 (Thurs.)	Georgia Southern	Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center	TBA
Dec. 29 (Fri.)	Yale/Cornell	Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center	5:00 p.m.
Jan. 3 (Tues.)	Orange Bowl Swim Classic	Key Largo, Fla.	12:00 p.m.
Jan. 6 (Fri.)	FIU Sprint Invite	Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center	1:00 p.m.
Jan. 28 (Sat.)	Florida Gulf Coast	Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center	12:00 p.m.
Feb. 4 (Sat.)	Florida Atlantic	Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center	12:00 pm
	Conference USA Championships
Feb. 22-25 (Wed.-Sat.)	TBD	Atlanta, Ga.	All Day
	NCAA Dive Zone
Mar. 6-8 (Mon.-Wed.)	TBD	Auburn, Ala.	All Day
	NCAA Championships
Mar. 15-18 (Wed.-Sat.)	TBD	Indianapolis, Ind.	All Day
Apr. 15-16 (Sat.-Sun.)	MAC Invite	Tamiami Park	All Day

All times eastern
All home matches in bold and ALL CAPS
Dates and times subject to change
 
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUSwimDive) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSwimmingAndDiving) for all the latest Swimming and Diving news. Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).


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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.

About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $9.8 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.