The Marshall University swimming and diving team took its talents to Atlanta, Georgia to compete in the Conference USA tournament.

The tournament kicks off 6 p.m. Wednesday.

The team will compete against five other C-USA schools: Florida International University, Florida Atlantic University, Old Dominion University, Rice University and the University of North Texas.

If Marshall finishes in the top three of any given event, it will receive all-conference awards along with trophies and individual awards if it finishes first and second.

Junior Mikaya Reynolds said the team has positive aspirations going into the tournament and sees a lot of great things happening for the Herd.

“Leading into the conference tournament, we started to taper off our yardage and our practice times,” Reynolds said. “We cut our practice time from 20 hours a week to 10 hours a week and really focused on our skill work.”

Reynolds said the team is really excited going into the conference tournament and hopeful it will come away with victorius.

“We have had this goal of conference tournament written in our locker room since the first day of school,” Reynolds said. “And we’re so ready for this.”

Junior Teel Hartman said the team’s excitement is obvious among players and coaches heading into the C-USA tournament.

“We have trained hard all year long and have done some of the hardest practices I’ve ever done in my time here to prepare for this meet,” Hartman said. “Winning Conference USA is in our reach. We’re closer than we’ve ever been, and it’s so great to see how far we’ve come and how close we are to accomplishing this goal,” Hartman said.

Last year at the C-USA tournament, junior Megan Wolons and sophomore Nele Albers both made the podium while the team finished fourth overall, its highest finish ever at the tournament.

The four-day meet  starts 6 pm. Wednesday as the Herd looks to make history and bring home its first C-USA title.

Brittanie Fowler can be contacted at [email protected].