By
Bryan Rosenbaum
Arizona Daily Wildcat
18 Wildcats competing in Sydney
Past, present and future student-athletes will be representing the University of Arizona during the next 16 days at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
The athletes will be competing in a number of different sports and will be flying the colors for an even greater number of countries.
Senior Patrick Nduwimana of Burundi and 1999 graduate Abdi Abdirahman of the U.S. are two Wildcats with the best chance of medaling in track and field.
Nduwimana's 1:44.06 time in the 800-meter dash at the Memorial Van Damme meet in Brussles, Belgium on Aug. 25 set a school record. His time ranks eighth in the world this year and is the No. 2 time in collegiate history.
Abdirahman finished third in the 10,000-meter race at the U.S. Olympic Trials in July. Born in Somalia, Abdirahman was ineligible for the 1999 World Championships after his citizenship had not been processed, but became a full U.S. citizen earlier this year.
Also participating in the track and field events from Arizona are Erin Aldrich, who attended the UA for two years before transferring to Texas in 1997 and will compete for the United States in the high jump; 1998 graduates Klaus Ambrosch, representing Austria in the decathlon, Dominic Johnson, competing in the pole vault for St. Lucia, and former football players Chima Ugwu, who will represent Nigeria in shot put and discus; and 1994 graduate Trecia Roberts, competing in the 100m high hurdles.
Arizona will have 10 swimming and diving participants in Sydney, led by South African swimmers Ryk Neethling (Class of 2000) and junior Roland Schoeman.
Neethling is competing in the 1,500m, 400m, 200m and 4x100m freestyle events, while Schoeman swims the 100m and 50m free races.
"It's great the UA can boast such a wide variety of Olympic athletes, in swimming, high jump, long jump and track," Schoeman said. "It's a great honor to represent my country, South Africa, but also a great honor to represent the UA as well. It's very special for me."
1995 UA graduate Chad Carvin swims the 400m and 4x800m free events for the U.S., while 1999 graduate Jimmy Sjoden dives for Sweden.
The women are headed by incoming freshman Diana Munz, a native of Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Munz is a contender in the 400m free and also participates in the 4x200m free relay.
Sophomore Amanda Beard won three medals in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, but is only participating in one event in Sydney - the 200m breaststroke.
1997 graduate Ashley Tappin is competing in the 400m free and Amy Van Dyken, who transferred to Colorado State after her sophomore year in 1992, is racing in the 50m free.
Van Dyken won four gold medals in 1996, one of the greatest swimming performances in history.
Greece will be represented by junior Maria Papadopoulou in the 100m butterfly and Angelique Rodriguez will dive for Puerto Rico.
Arizona isn't represented by only individual sport athletes - 1998 graduate Leah O'Brien-Amico is an outfielder on the U.S. softball team.
