UNC Asheville Hosts Liberty on Senior Day, Defends 15-Meet Home Streak

UNC Asheville's women's swimming and diving program welcomed Liberty to the Justice Center pool complex the weekend of Jan. 16-17 for Senior Day, with the Bulldogs looking to preserve a 15-meet home winning streak that dates back to October 2020. The two-day meeting combined diving at the Asheville Jewish Community Center with two varsity swim sessions at the Justice Center and featured pre-meet ceremonies honoring the program's seniors.

Asheville entered the weekend with a 4-1 overall record and a 2-0 mark in ASUN competition. Liberty came in 4-0 overall and 3-0 in conference play, making the matchup a notable midseason test for both squads. The series between the programs was set at nine prior meetings, with Liberty holding a 7-2 edge; the Jan. 16-17 meeting represented the 10th all-time contest between the schools.

Friday's schedule opened with diving at 3:00 p.m. at the Asheville Jewish Community Center, with a Senior Day ceremony preceding the competition. The first swimming session followed at 6:30 p.m. in the Justice Center Pool. Saturday morning concluded the weekend schedule with an 11:30 a.m. swim session, again with a Senior Day ceremony before the meet. Key athletes identified for the Bulldogs included Anna Marcotti and Leigha Travis, who were highlighted by staff as competitors to watch in both individual events and relays.

For local residents, the weekend carried more than scoreboard implications. Senior Day ceremonies give families and long-time supporters a chance to celebrate athletes who have trained and competed in Buncombe County, and home meets help sustain campus life and local spending at nearby restaurants and retailers. A prolonged home winning streak at the Justice Center also serves as a recruiting asset for UNC Asheville, reinforcing the program's competitive profile within the ASUN and producing visibility that can translate into future attendance and community engagement.

From an athletic and community perspective, the weekend fit into a broader stretch of early-season conference play that will shape ASUN positioning before championship meets later in the winter. The Justice Center streak, which began in October 2020, has become a local talking point and a benchmark for program consistency, one that coaches and fans alike will monitor as the Bulldogs move deeper into conference competition.

Looking ahead, outcomes from this meeting will factor into UNC Asheville's conference momentum and the remaining dual-meet slate. For Buncombe County residents, the continuation of home success at the Justice Center means more inviting weekends on campus, more home stands to rally around, and sustained opportunities to support student-athletes through the rest of the season.