Duke hopes senior day brings out best in team

The men's and women's swimming and diving team , which are both 4-5, will defend its home pool for the final time this season when the Cougars of the College of Charleston come to Taishoff Aquatics Pavilion Saturday for the Blue Devils' final dual meet of the season. ���

� "I've personally never seen College of Charleston before, but they're pretty good for their division," Duke assistant coach Lynzee Sharp said. "They're not as tough as other opponents though--I think we'll be ready for Charleston." ���

� The Blue Devils will look to improve upon the times they posted in their emphatic victory against William & Mary last weekend, where the men won 138-91, and the women were victorious by a 134-102 margin. "We swam really well [against William & Mary] considering we left at seven in the morning and had a four hour bus ride," senior Amy Halligan said. "We knew it was going to be an exciting meet, so we kept the enthusiasm up the whole time." ���

� Although this final meet of the season is of particular significance for the team's seniors, the competition also holds importance as the team's final tune-up before the ACC Championships, where Duke may, for the first time in years, possibly upset an ACC opponent. ���

� Halligan stressed the importance of not letting up before the conference championships. ���

� "We're two weeks outside of ACC's, so we tried to put up times that were pretty solid," Halligan said after the William & Mary meet. "When we start to rest, we often appear tired when we start our meets. So the fast times we put up against William & Mary will hopefully be a sign of fast swimming to come in the next few weeks." ���

� Sharp felt that her team is indeed prepared for the ACC Championships, and will perform well provided it prepares properly. ���

� "I feel like we're really prepared, because we've trained really hard all season with just a lot of background training, which has brought us pretty far up to this point," Sharp said. "I think once they taper and shave they'll do really well." ���