FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – If Friday and Saturday's Northern Arizona swimming & diving meet is indeed the Lumberjacks' final meet in the Wall Aquatic Center, then the pool is going out with a bang. In NAU's season-opening double dual, the Lumberjacks will be hosting a combined men's and women's meet with SEC power LSU and Mountain West foe Wyoming coming to Flagstaff for a two-day extravaganza. Friday's meet will start at 4 p.m. and Saturday's meet will commence at 9 a.m.

NAU swimming & diving will be moving out of the Wall Aquatic Center – the program's only home for the last 32 years – when construction on the new adjacent North Campus Athletic and Recreation Complex is completed. The Lumberjacks tentatively anticipate their next home meet on versus Colorado State on Jan. 16 to be their first in their new facility.

This weekend will be a tremendous showcase of talent on both the men's and women's side of things, and the Lumberjacks will be right in the middle of it.

NAU, the two-time defending Western Athletic Conference champions, returns 21 letterwinners from last year's title squad and has already posted solid results in the team's two intrasquad meets. The Lumberjacks return two individual WAC champs in senior diver Chelsea Jackson on 3-meter and sophomore swimmer Alina Staffeldt in the 100 butterfly. Jackson is one of eight seniors this year, a group that also includes Kendall Brown, Trinity Frazee, Eva Pold Monica Pruett and Carlye Townsend – all of whom scored points at the conference meet last season.

The Lumberjacks also add eight newcomers to this year's roster and several have already turned some heads during the preseason. Junior transfer Hayley Edmond was the overall winner of the NAU's annual Pentathlon, while freshmen divers Raquel Gonzales and Christina Torrente each placed third on a springboard event during the Blue vs. Gold meet.

While NAU – winners of its last 12 home dual meets dating back Dec. 4, 2010 – will have its hands full though with LSU and Wyoming this weekend, it will have the advantage of its home pool at altitude. LSU, a fifth-place finisher at last season's SEC Championships, received a vote in this season's first CSCAA Top 25 poll released earlier this week. The Tigers return eight NCAA qualifiers, three of whom were All-Americans. Meanwhile, the Cowgirls of Wyoming placed fourth at the Mountain West Championships a season ago and return nine all-conference performers. Wyoming defeated NAU in a dual meet in Las Vegas last season, 233-56.

"In some spots we feel that we'll be competitive and swimming short course meters at altitude in our pool almost levels the playing field," said head coach Andy Johns. "LSU had more than a handful of girls who competed at NCAAs last year and some of them scored points. We saw Wyoming last year in Vegas and they were lights out. They have some good swimmers as well as some good divers, so the diving competition will be outstanding as well. We're looking forward to competing in our home pool and stepping up to some stiff competition."

LSU and Wyoming's men's teams will also compete in a separate dual meet on both Friday and Saturday, alternating between the women's events. The men's meet will be the first NCAA dual meet in the Wall Aquatic Center in nearly 16 years, providing one final chance for the men's pool records to be broken.

"We're excited to host two quality programs and to showcase some men's swimming," Johns said. "For our club kids and the boys that swim locally, it's a great opportunity to see what it's all about at that level."

Also of note, current LSU assistant coach Jeana (Fuccillo) Kempe, was an assistant coach on Johns' coaching staff for two seasons from 2010-12.

Both meets on Friday and Saturday will be free for all fans to attend. For live updates during the meet, follow @NAUSwimDive on Twitter.