ISL returns to the pool Friday, October 16!

By Reach for the Wall Staff

The ISL held their opening day press conference at 9am on 9/9, with a lot of fanfare and announcements! The DC Trident will again be led by head coach Cyndi Gallagher and GM Kaitlin Sandeno. They took to Twitter to announce the lineup:

INTRODUCING your 2020 DC Trident squad! We are thrilled to have some returning vets and some new faces on this year’s roster. Stay tuned over the coming days to learn more about every single one of them! #tridentup #rockthered @iswimleague #ISwimLeagueS02 pic.twitter.com/2RdcXMbSGe

— DCTRIDENT (@DCTridentISL) September 9, 2020

Kaitlin also tweeted out her message:

DC Trident GM & four time Olympic medalist @KaitlinSandeno pumped up for season 2! pic.twitter.com/BfaIuNlU5U

— DCTRIDENT (@DCTridentISL) September 9, 2020

In subsequent press releases, the ISL has announced the location and schedule of meets with the entirety of the 2020 season in Budapest, Hungary. the teams will compete in a condensed five week schedule in order to ensure the health and safety of its athletes. 

Teams competing for the 2020 Title:

As stated in their press release, from October 16th to November 15th, 2020, the Duna Arena in Budapest will be the single location for the first 10 matches. The match series represents the qualifiers for the semi-finals set to happen in Budapest from November 19th, 2020

DC Trident has their work cut out for them, with their first meet taking place October 18-19, facing the 2019 runner-ups, London Roar, 5th place Iron, and 7th place Aqua Centurions. DC has a revamped lineup with 16 new swimmers on the roster and big holes to fill with last year’s top point scorer Siobhan Haughey departing for the Energy Standard, Katie Ledecky and Cody Miller (among others) opting out of the season. Team captains Madison Kennedy and Giles Smith, will be poised to lead the team into this short but action packed season!

Last year, viewers watched the action unfold through ESPN +, whereas this year, CBS Sports will carry every meet live as well announced their multi-year partnership with the ISL: “The league will beginning broadcasting competitions across the CBS Television Network, CBS Sports Network, and CBS Sports Digital beginning with the season opener on Oct. 16 from 10 a.m. ET to noon.” CBS Sports will broadcast the entire 2020 season, which will consist of 13 events taking place over a five-week period.

“We are thrilled with this partnership and the commitment made by CBS to air all ISL events live to its North American audience. From the beginning, the team at CBS really impressed us with their understanding of our vision,” said ISL founder and Chairman Konstantin Grigorishin in a statement. “This partnership will provide a wonderful platform to showcase the world’s best swimmers, female and male, challenging each other in the most entertaining competitive format ever created in the sport.”

Get your brunch plans in order for Friday as the first meet kicks of at 10am EST. Looking forward to seeing world-class swimming again…on TV!!!

All photos and graphics courtesy of DC Trident and ISL