UNC Asheville Hosts Georgia Southern, Local Venues See Conference Action

UNC Asheville welcomed Georgia Southern to Buncombe County for a weekend of conference competition that ran December 12 and 13. Diving took place December 12 at the Asheville Jewish Community Center and the swimming portion followed December 13 at the Justice Center Pool. The event brought student athletes, coaches and visiting families into town and used two local venues that serve as anchors for community sport programming.

The Bulldogs entered the weekend with a focus on building conference readiness. Coaching notes emphasized returning contributors across both the swimming and diving squads and framed the meet as an opportunity to sharpen race execution and scoring consistency ahead of the middle portion of the schedule. The program also provided a series history between the schools and recent performance notes to place the weekend in season context.

For local residents the meet had several practical impacts. Hosting conference competition at community sites reduced travel for the teams and highlighted partnerships between UNC Asheville and civic organizations. The Asheville Jewish Community Center and the Justice Center Pool were focal points for volunteers, officials and local spectators who filled the stands and timing areas. Small businesses benefitted from visiting supporters who used nearby restaurants and hotels while in town for the two day event.

Athletically, the meet contributed to conference standings and to individual qualification timelines for postseason events, as athletes chased time standards and point totals that matter later in the winter. The weekend also served as a development checkpoint for the Bulldogs, allowing coaches to assess returning contributors in live competition and to adjust training emphasis for the remainder of the season.

Looking ahead, local support for collegiate meets remains an important component of Buncombe County sports activity. By staging diving at a community center and swimming at a campus adjacent pool, the weekend underscored how university athletics can integrate with local facilities to produce competitive opportunities while strengthening town and gown connections.