MADISON, Wis. – This Friday, the Wisconsin swimming and diving team will head south to Auburn, Alabama, to open the 2017-18 season with two days of competition against Auburn and Tennessee. Here are five things to know as the Badgers prepare to take on the Tigers and the Volunteers.
 
BADGERS BACK FOR MORE

A number of notable athletes have returned for the Badgers. The women's team is returning three members of its 400-yard freestyle relay squad that finished seventh at the NCAA championships last spring: Emmy Sehmann, Marissa Berg and Cierra Runge.

Badgers head coach Whitney Hite on the trio: "Emmy Sehmann is going to be called on to step up and be the big-time sprinter. Marissa Berg is our leader. One of the best racers I've ever seen. She will be that hammer on our relays. And with Cierra Runge, any time you've got an Olympic gold medalist, she's pretty darn good, and certainly can help us this year."

Also returning to the women's team are Jess Unicomb, an All-American and Big Ten champion in the 200 freestyle relay, and Beata Nelson, who scored in five events at the Big Ten meet. Hite expects both to make "a big impact on our team."

On the men's side, Hite says things are "a little different," and that the Badgers are "not rebuilding, but reloading." He expects the two senior captains to step up. Hite says that Victor Goicoechea should "take that step as our distance ace. We've had a lot of success on our men's side in distance events, and I would expect that to continue, with Victor leading the way." He also expects Ryan Stack, following "an awesome summer," to continue to improve.
 
THIRTEEN NEW FACES

"We've got a big newcomers class." Yes you do, Coach.

The Badgers welcome 13 new arrivals, including 10 freshmen and three transfers, and the team is looking for an immediate impact from a number of those athletes.

"MJ Mao, I think, is arguably our top freshman," Hite said. "MJ is one of the top recruits in the country and any time you can add a junior national champion to your program, you can't help but be excited."

Hite also mentioned a Wisconsin native that is coming home after spending two years in Alabama. "Katie Coughlin is a transfer who we expect to make an immediate impact. I think that she can do some great things."
 
STARTING RANKED, BUT NOT STOPPING THERE

The Badgers open the season ranked in the top 25 of the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) preseason poll.

The Badgers women are ranked 12th, the third-highest ranked Big Ten team, and the men are ranked in a tie for 25th, rounding out a list of five ranked conference teams.

Despite the high ranking, Hite has his sights set higher. "We want to be better every year," he said, "and when you get to the top you want to stay there."
 
SOPHOMORES STEPPING UP

After losing a number of athletes to graduation, the swimming and diving team will look for new leaders to step up to fill the void. "We have a group of women that I think can make the next step," Hite said.

In particular, Hite mentioned sophomore Beata Nelson. "I think she is really going to have the biggest jump from one season to the next. I think she's going to be really lights-out — she had a great summer."

On the men's side, Hite expects last year's freshmen to take a big jump. "We've got some sophomores that can really step up. That sophomore class is going to be really good."
 
'THE TOUGHEST SCHEDULE IN THE COUNTRY'

The opening meet of the season will not be a cakewalk — both Auburn and Tennessee are members of the SEC, arguably the top conference in college swimming, and are ranked in the top 25 of the CSCAA poll. Auburn's women's and men's teams are ranked 11th and eighth, respectively, and Tennessee is ranked 13th (women's) and 18th (men's).

However, Hite and the Badgers are not worried about the tough schedule — quite the opposite. "Year in and year out, we have, what I would consider, the toughest schedule in the country," Hite said. "And that's by design.

"Those are the teams we want to compete against at NCAAs, so there's no point to waiting until the end."

Hite has confidence that the Badgers are ready to take on whatever comes their way.

"It's a tough schedule," he said, "but they'll be ready to answer the bell."