The ISU Swimming and Diving team will begin the 2011-2012 season by hosting an Alumni Meet on Friday evening at the Beyer Hall pool.

This year will be the second consecutive year that Iowa State has held this event and coach Duane Sorenson mentioned it is a really fun event for Iowa State to put on.

“It is just a fun, low pressure event,” Sorenson said. “There is a lot of fun interaction between the alumni and [our] swimmers and there can be some fabulous alumni performances.”

The swimmers will compete in the 100 and 200-yard medley relays and the 100 and 200-yard freestyle relays, as well as the 100-yard freestyle, 100-yard backstroke, 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard breaststroke. The diving team will compete in the one meter and three meter dives.

Alumni and ISU swimmers will be competing in the same events but the alumni will be allowed to form relays on short, individual races whereas the Iowa State swimmers will have to compete on their own in those events.

“It’s a way for our alumni to come back and feel like they don’t need to be in great shape and it is a chance for our women to race against four different people in one event,” Sorenson said.

While the Alumni Meet is a lot of fun for alumni to come back to Iowa State and see old friends, it is equally exciting for the current ISU swimmers and is a good way to simulate a real meet. Senior Liz Holman mentioned that it is fun to swim against old teammates and to get quality work in.

“It is good just to see where we are in training and see where our freshman are at since they are a big part of our team this year,” Holman said. “It is good to work on some of our stuff and get out all of the meet jitters.”

Holman also said that this meet would be a particularly good one for the average Iowa Stater to come watch because the meet doesn’t last quite as long as normal meets and it is an opportunity for people to see some great performances from past and current ISU swimmers and divers.

The meet will begin on Friday at 6 p.m. at the Beyer Hall pool. Admission to the event is free.