SIOUX FALLS - Officially starting their inaugural season, University of Sioux Falls Swimming will compete in the first regular season meet in program history on Friday, Oct. 21 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The Cougars will take on University of Northern Iowa and Quincy (Ill.) in a double dual beginning at 6 p.m. as they kick off their regular season.
 
Last time out
In their first collegiate competition, the Cougars traveled to Fort Dodge, Iowa for an exhibition dual against Iowa Central Community College two weeks ago. USF dominated the meet, winning 10 of the 11 events for a 132-62 victory in the program's first meet.
 
Leading the way for the Cougars this season is Gullaug, Norway native and freshman Ingelin Lima, who won the 50- and 100-yard freestyle and swam legs on the 200 medley and 200 free relays. Lima's time in the 50 free would have qualified her for the NCAA Championships, finishing under the B Cut time. Allison Eppinga posted the top time in the 100-yard backstroke and legs on USF's winning relays.
 
USF picked fifth overall in NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll
Entering their inaugural season, University of Sioux Falls was picked to finish fifth by the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference coaches. USF collected 16 points in the polls, placing them just three behind third-place Northern State. St. Cloud State was picked the unanimous favorite with six first-place votes and Minnesota State received the final first-place, placing them second overall.
 
Of the three first-year programs, Sioux Falls was picked to finish highest in fifth. Augustana was sixth with 12 points and University of Mary collected eight points to come in seventh in the poll.
 
Crane tabbed as athlete to watch by NSIC
Along with USF's fifth-place billing in the NSIC preseason release, freshman Mackenzie Crane was named one of the athletes to watch this season. A native of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Crane qualified and competed in the 2016 Olympic Trials for her native Canada this past summer.
 
Crane owns times that would convert to top-16 finishes at the previous NCAA Championships. Her converted 10:06.51 in the 1,000-yard freestyle would have been a top-eight time at the NCAA Championships and her converted 1650 free (17:10.02) and 500 free (5:57.52) would have scored as top-16 times at last year's national meet.
 
Leader of the pack
Jon Maccoll is in his first season as the head coach of the USF Swimming program. On August 31, 2015, Maccoll was named the first head coach in program history. Previously, Maccoll held assistant positions at University of Nevada, Las Vegas and Queens University (N.C.), where he helped mold programs to compete at the national scale.
 
At UNLV, Maccoll helped the Rebel men's swim team to a 27th-place finish in his final season, the highest of any non-power 5 conference program. After assisting in the start of the Queens men's and women's swimming programs, Maccoll set them up for unparalleled success once he left for UNLV. Queens has captured the last two women's team national titles and a runner-up finish in 2014.