The Illinois swimming and diving team hopes to start their season with a splash this weekend.

Friday night the team takes on Illinois State and Toledo at 6 p.m. at IMPE. Sunday the women travel to the Northwestern Relays.

"We're ready to go," Illinois head coach Sue Novitsky said. "Northwestern is a fun meet. It's in an all relay format and we're really keying in on our relays this year. This will be a good opportunity for us."

Several Illini will be suiting up for their first collegiate performances when the Redbirds and Rockets come to Champaign-Urbana.

"There's definitely an entirely different team this year," Novitsky said. "We have a good mix, sprints through distance, which will allow us to change our lineup a little more. We have a lot more depth as a team."

The team's depth will be critical this weekend. The women have two competitions, staggered by practice and traveling.

"This will give us the experience of a three-day meets," Illinois sophomore Christina Brunka said. "We'll just have to get up and go. We have a lot of fast freshmen and the returning squad is in top shape."

Brunka, who competed in her first national competition as a freshman, has already had an impact on the team. She set a record at the Orange and Blue Intrasquad meet on Oct. 17 in the 50-yard butterfly.

Two freshmen took home multiple victories on Oct. 17 as well. Barbie Vinney smashed the 100 freestyle record with her time of 52.13 seconds and won the 200 free. Meghan Farrell tapped the wall first in the 50 backstroke and the 50 free.

"I was really worried about how this season would go with all of the changes of college and the training," Vinney said. "I think that (the wins) showed the parents that were here and the swimmers that I'm going to always come in and give it my all."

As unsure as the freshmen may have been at first, the elder members of their squad are confident that the team will be a force in the Big Ten throughout the upcoming season.

"I think the team is doing a really good job of managing, prioritizing and staying focused on one thing at a time," Illinois senior Crystal McAdam said. "When they're here, they're here in the water and focused in the water. The freshmen have done a really good job adapting to college life and college training."

Another newcomer who will face a tough task this weekend is Illinois diving coach Billy McGowan. McGowan's divers will take on a tough Toledo squad which swept Michigan in the 3-meter competition last weekend. Redbird Krystal Featherston, the reigning Valley Diver of the Week will also provide an adequate competition for the divers, who are led by senior Lisa Fish. Fish holds the school record for the platform of 292.54.