FAIRFIELD, Conn. – After an intense dual-meet season and two invitational meets, the Fairfield University swimming and diving teams will turn their attention to the 2023 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship this week in Buffalo, N.Y. The event starts on Wednesday, February 8 and runs through Saturday, February 11.

Both teams turned in winning records during the dual meet portion of the slate with the women winning four of their six dates and the men taking five of their six meets. And, both teams gained the experience of a championship-type event with their midseason appearance at the Terrier Invitational , a three-day event that included Boston College, Northeastern University, Georgetown University, UMass, and host Boston University.

"We had a kids earn top scores against really, really good competition including ACC and CAA schools," Head Coach Jacy Dyer said. "The fact that they stepped up and raced against that type of competition without any fear showed a lot about themselves. The midseason invitational prepared them for the MAACs and I believe helped build their confidence for this championship."

The dual meets also bred confidence as the teams seemed to progress as desired with the hope that the Stags would reach peak condition for the upcoming MAAC championship.

"This season, the teams went above and beyond my expectations," Coach Dyer said. "We set goals based on our preseason expectations and they met each one. Both teams set pool, meet, and school records throughout the season which helped us see a lot of success in dual meets. I saw so much growth as a team which came about from the bond they formed this season as well as the confidence they gained all season long."

The Stags faced several MAAC teams in dual meets and fared well against their conference foes. But a four-day championship can provide challenges that the teams may not have faced in a dual-meet setting.

"It's going to be a difficult meet because all the other teams in the conference have also had good seasons," Dyer said. "I think both of our teams have a chance to perform well so I think this could be a very special week for us."

Last year, the men's and women's teams enjoyed a successful week with the men taking their highest finish by scoring 585 points for a second-place placement. The women's team earned 548 points during the four-day event which was strong enough for third place in the team standings after winning the MAAC title in 2018, 2019, and 2020.

The MAAC Swimming and Diving Championship commences on Wednesday, February 8 beginning at 6 pm. The championship will continue on Thursday and Friday with preliminaries beginning at 10 am and finals starting at 6 pm. On the final day of the meet, preliminaries are slated for 10 am followed by the finals at 3 pm.