After more than one month away from meets, the Bowling Green swim and dive team gets back to competition this weekend.

The Falcons will take on three teams over the two-day competition. Friday, Jan. 16, the women face Marshall and Michigan State at 6 p.m. Saturday, they continue with Marshall and add in Mid-American Conference rival Toledo beginning

at 11 a.m.

Despite the lack of real-time racing over the break, the team has focused on training and preparation for MAC Championships in a few weeks. Each swimmer had varied training based on what type of races they compete in.

“These last couple weeks, it’s kind of about keeping them in a good place mentally,” head coach Petra Martin said.

Martin has scheduled meets and invites throughout the season to give the women a taste of what MACs will be like. This weekend the racing Friday will go late, and Saturday will start early, similar to what will be seen at MACs.

Every meet this season has been a stepping stone to MAC Championships, but Martin says the team needs to keep in mind the racing that is left.

“They know that it’s coming, it’s here, and people are getting excited,” Martin said. “At the same time we still have some work to do and we’ve got to make sure that they keep taking things one day at a time, one workout at a time, and don’t get too ahead of ourselves.”

Now, going into the break with momentum at 3-0, the time off has kept the team away from meets, but junior Tara Capouch sees some value in having that time.

“It goes both ways because it’s always nice to have a meet to see where the team is at and how you’re doing, but it also gave us a chance to get a lot stronger as a team in the water and out of the water,” Capouch said.

Taking on a Big Ten team as well as a rival, sophomore Maya Skorupski is excited to get back in

the pool.

“I love swim meets,” Skorupski said. “They’re just so much different than practice. You get in and there’s just something about out-touching people. It’s a very different environment so I’m excited.”

Adding to the excitement is the home element. The Falcons will be back in Cooper Pool after having just one home meet

last year.

“It will be good,” Martin said. “We love racing here. We love our pool. We’re excited to bring our

fans here.”

“To have people come out and take time out of their day to come out and support us and see what swimming is all about makes us go faster because we don’t want to let them down when they come,” Skorupski said.