UNC Asheville splits squad for weekend duals to Gardner-Webb, Georgia Southern

UNC Asheville sent its women's swimming squad to Gardner-Webb and its divers to Georgia Southern for the weekend duals, a split-road trip aimed at keeping athletes competitive and accruing valuable early-season results. The Bulldogs entered the weekend 3–1 overall and 1–0 in ASUN play, positioning the program near the top of the conference table at the outset of conference competition.

The team's announcement ahead of the weekend emphasized recent form and depth across strokes and events, noting a number of season-best and lifetime-best marks recorded in the opening meets. Two Bulldog performers earned conference weekly recognition heading into the road contests: Leigha Travis and Anna Marcotti were named ASUN weekly honorees for their contributions in recent competition. Those honors underline individual momentum that the program will seek to convert into team points this season.

Splitting the roster across two sites allowed UNC Asheville to match up against multiple opponents on the same weekend, with meet times and opponents provided in the team's release. For local fans and families, the arrangement meant fewer opportunities for a single, concentrated cheering section, but it also broadened the program's exposure across the region and provided more athletes the chance to compete. From a program perspective, staggered travel can be a strategic tool for maintaining competitive schedules, managing warm-up space and keeping event entries within NCAA and conference limits.

The weekend duals served as an early test of the Bulldogs' depth and travel logistics. Performance trends reported before the trips indicated improvements in both sprint and distance events, and the divers' separate travel to Georgia Southern offered focused competition for Asheville's specialists on the boards. Those season-best and lifetime-best marks highlighted in the release will be benchmarks to watch as the ASUN campaign continues; converting individual breakthroughs into consistent team scoring will be critical for Asheville's conference ambitions.

For Buncombe County residents, UNC Asheville meets are both a civic event and a recruiting showcase. Home attendance and local support can influence athlete experience and program profile, particularly in a mid-major market where community engagement helps sustain competitive teams. Fans who follow Bulldog swimming and diving should monitor result postings after the duals and plan to support upcoming home dates when the squad returns to Asheville.

The takeaway? The split trip showed program ambition and gave more Bulldogs a chance to compete; keep an eye on Travis and Marcotti as indicators of the team's trajectory, and come out to home meets when they return if you want to see those season-best marks put to work.