Northwest Wayne News

DETROIT -- The Wayne State University men's and women's swimming and diving teams are set to begin their 2024-25 campaigns on Thursday in Rochester, Mich. The Warriors will face Oakland inside the OU Aquatic Center for the third consecutive season opener.

"I am excited to kick off the 2024-25 season at OU!," said Sean Peters, entering his 28th season as head coach of the Warriors. "As our competition is the first scheduled competition in NCAA swimming, it should be a very fun and exciting way to kick off the season. We're looking forward to our new Warriors competing alongside our accomplished returners."

Competing out of the Horizon League, Oakland is coached by second-year man Mitch Alters following his two years as the Grizzlies' associate head coach under longtime head coach Pete Hovland. At OU, Alters was twice selected as a team captain and the Golden Grizzlies won their conference championship all four seasons. He was a College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Honorable Mention All-American in 2016 and won the Horizon League in the 200 fly. Alters was a Horizon League All-Academic honoree and was named to Horizon League Fall Honor Roll three times.

Both the men's and women's teams for Oakland were picked to win the Horizon League in the preseason poll. The men totaled 48 points and six of the seven first-place votes, while the women checked in with 49 points and all seven first-place nods. Both teams are defending Conference Champions, extending the program's streak of 46 consecutive conference championships for the men's team and 30 consecutive for the women.

Following this event, Wayne State will be off for nearly a month before Clarion's Diving Invitational on Friday-Saturday, Oct. 11-12 in Clarion, Pa.