PENSACOLA, Fla. - The University of West Florida will open its 2015-16 season this weekend with a home meet against Dvision I programs Air Force, Little Rock and Tulane. The 2-day event begins Friday at 5:00 p.m. and continues Saturday at 3 p.m. at the UWF Aquatic Center. Admission is free both days.

UWF returns seven All-Americans from a year ago including swimmers Mariana de Paula, Peggy de Villiers, Angelina Gallastegui, Madeline Pitt and Paulina Szydlo, along with divers Monica Amaral and Josie McKee. In just their second season as a program, the Argonauts caputred their first-ever New South Intercollegiate Swimming Conference title and finished 11th at the NCAA Championship - a year after a 22nd-place effort.

The Argos were a unanimous selection as the favorite to win the NSISC in a preseason poll by the league's coaches. Six Argonauts were named to the preseason all-conference team including swimmers de Villiers, Gallastegui, Pitt and Szydlo, and divers Amaral and McKee.

While the meet will be the first of the season for UWF, the other three programs opened their seasons last week.

Air Force dropped a home dual meet to New Mexico, 171-129. The Falcons top athletes are distance swimmers Sara Menke and Genevieve Miller.

Little Rock has a fourth-place finish at the North Texas Relays and a tri-meet split under its belt this season. The Trojans won 10 events in a home meet with Saint Louis and Henderson State last weekend.

Tulane fell to LSU 210-86 in its only action of the season. The Green Wave took fourth at the American Athletic Conference championships in 2015, which saw Holly Grender set school records in the 200 back, 200 free, 200 IM and 400 IM at the meet. Mia Schachter became just the second Tulane swimmer since 2003-04 to qualify for the NCAA Championship.

PARKING: Please use Lot E (http://uwf.edu/media/university-of-west-florida/offices/business--auxiliary-services/docs/Color-Coded-Parking-Map.pdf) and walk around the HLS building to the Aquatic Center.

ENTRANCE: Due to construction outside the regular entrance plaza, please access the pool deck through the South side doors (across the courtyard from the HLS building).

ORDER OF EVENTS (all times Central)
Friday, Oct. 16 – 5 p.m. start
400 medley relay
1,650 free
200 free
50 free
200 IM
3m diving
200 fly
100 free
200 back
500 free
1m diving
200 breast
400 free relay

Saturday, Oct. 17 – 3 p.m. start
200 medley relay
1,000 free
200 free
50 free
400 IM
3m diving
100 fly
100 free
100 back
500 free
1m diving
100 breast
200 free relay