DETROIT -- The Wayne State University men's and women's swimming & diving teams are set for their final event of the calendar year.  The Warriors will compete in Oakland's Golden Grizzly Classic on Wednesday, December 3, through Saturday, December 6, inside the OU Aquatic Center.

Wednesday's action is slated to begin at 5 p.m., while the following three days will start at 9 a.m.  The Warriors and host Golden Grizzlies will be joined in both genders by Dartmouth and Grand Canyon.  Eastern Michigan will be included as the fifth school in women's competition only as EMU does not carry men's swimming & diving.  WSU has not competed since a trip to Northern Michigan back on November 7 and 8.

Coach's Corner
"In a season of trying some new things, the Golden Grizzly Invitational is certainly another opportunity for our Warriors to put up fast swims and strengthen our diving lists," said head coach Sean Peters.  "It is a very unique opportunity as we are the only Division II program there, and there will be a plethora of fast swimmers from the east in Dartmouth, from the west in Grand Canyon, and then right here in our own back yard with Eastern Michigan and Oakland.  It is a great chance to get some season bests, lifetime bests, and make runs at posting times that are strong at both a conference and NCAA level.  It should be fast, exciting, and I hope our fans can catch some of the action!"

Schedule of Events
Wednesday (Finals at 5 p.m.):
- 800 Free Relay
- 200 Medley Relay

Thursday (Prelims at 9 a.m., Finals at 6 p.m.):
- Men's 3-Meter Dive (5:15 p.m.)
- 500 Free
- 200 IM
- 50 Free
- Women's 1-Meter Dive
- 200 Free Relay

Friday (Prelims at 9 a.m., Finals at 6 p.m.):
- Women's 3-Meter Dive (5:15 p.m.)
- 100 Fly
- 400 IM
- 200 Free
- 100 Breast
- 100 Back
- Men's 1-Meter Dive
- 400 Medley Relay

Saturday (Prelims at 9 a.m., Finals at 6 p.m.):
- 1650 Free
- 200 Back
- 100 Free
- 200 Breast
- 200 Fly
- 400 Free Relay

National Spotlight
Both Wayne State men's and women's teams were once again nationally ranked in Division II for the month of November.  According to the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America's (CSCAA) top 25, the Warrior men are 14th in the nation with 120 points.  Meanwhile, the Green and Gold women check in at No. 23 with 34 points.  The full rankings for both Division I and Division II can be found HERE.

About Oakland
The host Golden Grizzlies are a staple on the WSU calendar each year, with this season being no exception.  OU is coached by Mitch Alters, who is in his third season as head coach after taking over following the retirement of Pete Hovland in 2023.  Alters served as Associate Head Coach under Hovland beginning with the 2021-22 season and lasting two years.  He also was a student-athlete at OU and was a four-year letterwinner for the Golden Grizzlies.  Oakland has seen action in 2025-26 against the likes of Youngstown State, Cincinnati, Purdue, Michigan, Pittsburgh, and Eastern Michigan.

About Dartmouth
The Big Green will be seeing multi-team competition for the first time in 2025-26, as their previous five events have all been dual meets against Boston College (scrimmage), Brown, Princeton, Harvard, and most recently against Cornell on November 14.  Milana Socha is the head coach of Dartmouth's swimming & diving squads and is in her fourth season at the position.  She was an assistant coach for three years with DU from 2017 to 2020, before leaving to serve the same role at Northwestern University.

About Grand Canyon
GCU is led by Steve Schaffer, who is in his 18th season as head coach of the Lopes.  He won Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Coach of the Year for the 2018-19 season, as well as the 2012 and 2013 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Coach of the Year honors before GCU made the jump from Division II to Division I.  Schaffer was named the 2011 Division II Men's Swimming Coach of the Year across the entire level.  Grand Canyon has seen plenty of action to this point in the season, as it has competed in five dual meets and three other events.

About Eastern Michigan
The Eastern Michigan women are coached by seventh-year leader Derek Perkins, the ninth head coach in program history.  So far in the 2025-26 campaign, the Eagles have competed in five dual meets with a 1-4 record to show for them.  EMU defeated Illinois State 244-126 in the season opener.  However, Eastern Michigan then fell to Toledo 185-184, Akron 110-70, Bowling Green 169-131 and Oakland 189-111.

Next Up
As previously mentioned, the meet at Oakland is the final event of the calendar year for the Green and Gold.  Wayne State will next hit the pool for a dual meet against Calvin on Friday, January 9, in Grand Rapids, Mich.  Events from the Venema Aquatic Center are scheduled to start at 3 p.m.  WSU will then host Grand Valley State the next day on Saturday, January 10, inside the Matthaei Natatorium at 1 p.m.