By
Kyle Faraday
Arizona Daily Wildcat
The UA men's swimming team defeated USC 166-134 Friday, the same day the Wildcat women suffered a surprising defeat at the hands of UCLA.
Both teams were in Los Angeles this weekend for their important Pacific 10 Conference showdowns.
The Wildcat women, ranked No. 1 in the country, enjoyed a lead for most of the meet before faltering down the stretch.
The Arizona women closed out the meet by defeating Southern Cal, 129-113 but lost to No. 11 UCLA, 159-140.
While the loss came as a shock to both UA players and coaches, it may have been foreshadowed by the numerous injuries that the team has endured.
"We can't be that disappointed because everyone gave the best effort that they possibly could," junior Katie Zimbone said. "Obviously, nobody likes to lose, but I think that we're looking ahead now and trying to concentrate on staying healthy and preparing ourselves for the next meet."
The Wildcats appeared to be in control for the entire meet before UCLA won the last four events of the day en route to a stunning comeback.
Swimming well again for Arizona was sophomore Beth Botsford, who took first place in both the 100 meter and 200m backstroke, and was a part of an Arizona 400m individual medley team that took first place.
For the No. 4 men's swimming and diving team, Friday's meet was an important step towards a bright future.
By defeating No. 6 Southern Cal, the men showed that they are equipped to handle the top teams in the country.
A win against such a highly ranked opponent also helps to build momentum for a team that is trying to emerge from the shadow cast by last year's highly- successful squad.
"I think that this win proves we are one of the teams to beat in the conference as well as the country," junior Kris Souther said. "Coming into the year, there was a lot of question marks with the younger guys on the team. This meet really allowed them to prove themselves."
Souther was a part of the 200m individual medley team that won the first event of the day and set the tone for meet.
He also captured an individual event by winning the 200m backstroke with a time of 1:48.23.
Junior Roland Schoeman, seniors Jay Schryver and Tyler Painter, and sophomore Jeff Dash also earned NCAA consideration times in the meet.
