The 2017 A3 Invitational kicks off Thursday morning in sunny San Diego. The three-day meet is a stop on the 2017-18 Collegiate Para Swimming Series.

2017 A3 Invitational

Nov. 16-18

San Diego, CA

Short Course Yards (SCY)

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The series is a partnership in conjunction with the U.S. Paralympics — a division of the USOC — the NCAA, and host institutions such as UC San Diego.

The goal of the Collegiate Para Swimming Series is to create more awareness around para-swimming and further develop opportunities for para-swimmers and other student-athletes to compete at the collegiate level.

The 2017 A3 Invite is holding three women's and three men's para-events throughout the three-day meet.

Thursday, Nov. 16

50-yard freestyle

Friday, Nov. 17

100-yard backstroke

Saturday, Nov. 18

100-yard freestyle

Paul Ackerman (U.S. Paralympics' Dir. of Paralympic Sport Dev.) on the series:

"Besides being a very inclusive sport, para-swimming heats are easily integrated into existing swim meets. Through the series, we hope to create more collegiate competition opportunities and educate athletes, parents, and school officials about Paralympic sport. There are too many individuals with disabilities that are unaware of available programs, so it is our goal to increase awareness and opportunities to participate."

2017-18 Collegiate Para Swimming Series Schedule

• Nov. 16-18 — A3 Performance Invitational (San Diego, CA)
• Nov. 30 - Dec. 2 — Calvin Invite (Grand Rapids, MI)
• Feb. 14-17 — 2018 PCSC Championships (La Mirada, CA)
• Feb. 15-17 — 2018 OAC Championships (Akron, Ohio)
• Feb. 23-25 — 2018 ECAC Open Championships (Piscataway, NJ)

Information provided by UC San Diego and the United States Olympic Committee was used in this article.