By
Lindsey Manroel
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Northern California squads challenge Arizona's success
Rough waters lie ahead for Arizona's swimming program.
The Wildcats will face powerhouse squads from California and Stanford this weekend in an early but pivotal meet.
"They are really tough," said Jenny Vanker, sprint and freestyle swimmer. "These meets are really important because they are two of the best teams in the country. Our team as a whole has to come together - everyone is in the best shape of their lives."
The No. 4 ranked Arizona women's squad will face No. 6 California this afternoon and No. 3 Stanford tomorrow.
After coming off a Spring season opener with a 157-120 win against Northern Arizona University, the women are swimming with a full roster for just the second time since the end of last season.
Last year, the Wildcats managed a split performance, defeating California only to fall to the Cardinal.
UA swimmer Amanda Beard said the team is eager to exceed last year's results.
"I think that we are ready," Beard, a breaststroker, said. "We've done a lot of hard training and just want to get in some good races."
In the fall and start of the Spring season alone, the UA women have fought through injuries, absences and intense weather conditions but have remained successful.
Vanker said California and Stanford will be just one more opportunity for Arizona to prove what UA head coach Frank Busch emphasizes -effort is the only thing that can be controlled in team swimming.
"For the whole season, we have fought through adversity and injuries and of course we want revenge (on Stanford)," Vanker said. "I think we can beat them."
Ranked No. 5 in the country, the Arizona men's team will seek retaliation against the Golden Bears and attempt a repeat performance against the Cardinal, a team they defeated last year.
"We are looking to repeat that victory of last year, beat Cal and sweep the weekend," said Jeff Dash, a butterfly and individual medley swimmer.
However, the waters will not be easy.
"They (Stanford) don't have a weak spot," Dash said. "They have a lot of depth in everything and have a man that can swim well in every event. We have the talent and ability to beat both teams-it's just a matter if we have it that particular day."
The Wildcats said two factors - home pool advantage and strong team unity - give UA an edge in the weekend meet.
"We are a really closely knit team - everyone feeds off each other," Dash said. "Once you get a team going, you're almost unbeatable."
