The University of Louisville men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will be facing off against long-time rival Missouri on January 6th in Columbia, Missouri. The No. 18/7-ranked Louisville men’s team and the No. 22/NR Missouri men’s team will both be looking to come out on top after the 2021-22 meet was cancelled due to COVID-19. In the previous meeting between the two teams, the Louisville men’s team secured a victory with wins in both diving events, both relays, and seven individual events.
The No. 7-ranked Louisville women’s team has had a strong start to the season, with 25 top 50 swims and five top 10 performances. Four out of the five women’s relays are nationally ranked, with the 200 Free Relay and the 200 Medley Relay both ranked No. 4 in the country. Gabi Albiero is ranked sixth in the 100 free, eighth in the 100 fly, and 13th in the 50 freestyle. Christiana Regenauer is also performing well, ranking tenth in both the 100 fly and the 50 free and 13th in the 100 freestyle. Distance specialist Liberty Williams is ranked seventh in the 500 free, 11th in the 1650 free, and 24th in the 1000.
The No. 18-ranked Louisville men’s team has also had success this season, with 11 top 50 performances. Abdelrahman El-Araby is a standout in the sprint events, with national rankings in both the 50 and 100 free. Distance specialist Ilia Sibirtsev is also performing well, with rankings in the 500, 1000, and 1650 freestyles. The men’s team is nationally ranked in three relays: the 400 free relay (24th), the 800 free relay (27th), and the 200 medley relay (14th). This meet will be a great opportunity for both the Louisville men’s and women’s teams to prove their strength and come out on top against a tough rival.