#UWFSwimDive Media Guide
 
PENSACOLA, Fla. – The University of West Florida women's swimming and diving team opens its season against Alabama and Vanderbilt on Friday afternoon in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The event will begin at 4 p.m. in the Alabama Aquatic Center.
 
UWF finished sixth at the NCAA Championships in March and won its second consecutive New South Intercollegiate Swim Conference championship in February. The team has improved its finish at NCAAs each of its three seasons, finishing 23rd in 2014 and 11th in 2015. The Argonauts also sent a program-record 11 student-athletes to the national meet in March and got championship points from all seven student-athletes who advanced into the meet.
 
West Florida returns two national champions to the 2016-17 team in Monica Amaral and Theresa Michalak, who also claimed the NSISC Diver of the Year and Swimmer of the Year awards. Five more 2015-16 CSCAA All-Americans will return as well, in Danica Burnett, Rebecca Halfast, Pia Hulley, Madeline Pitt and Gabrielle Spangenberg.
 
The Argonauts also bring back nine All-NSISC performers from the 2015-16 season and the NSISC swimming and diving coaches of the year, with Andrew Hancock and Barbara Parker.
 
West Florida continues a growing tradition of scheduling top competition to start the season. In the inaugural 2013-14 campaign, the Argonauts hosted Florida State and Tulane. In the fall of 2014, North Florida and Vanderbilt made the trip to Pensacola for a season-opener, and the Air Force Academy, Tulane and Arkansas-Little Rock opened the season at the UWF Aquatic Center in 2015.
 
Alabama defeated Delta State 212-82 in the Crimson Tide's first meet of the season on September 9, while Vanderbilt fell to LSU 200-61 last Friday, September 23. UWF has faced Vanderbilt twice before, with the most recent of the two matchups resulting in a season-opening Vanderbilt win in 2014. Friday will mark the first time that UWF has faced Alabama in program history.
 
Fans can follow along with updates on Twitter at @UWFSwimDive.
 
For information on all UWF athletics, visit www.GoArgos.com.