SAUL LOEB/Arizona Daily Wildcat Arizona senior swimmers Sarah Tolar, the reigning 200 meter freestyle NCAA champ, and Roland Schoeman, a 2000 Olympian for his native South Africa, are the marquee swimmers of a 2002 senior class that has established itself as one of the best in Arizona history.

UA senior swim and dive class hopes to leave as champions

Walk into Hillenbrand Aquatic Center, and the first thing you see are the names. NCAA champions. Olympians. Swimming and diving greats. Lists of names looming over the north side of the pool, fighting for space.

These names are a testament to the Arizona swimming and diving program's rise to prominence. And most of these names belong to the class of 2002.

Sarah Tolar, current NCAA champion in the 200-meter freestyle. Roland Schoeman, one of the youngest swimmers on the 2000 South African Olympic team. Omar Ojeda, who owns every school diving record but one. And other key elements of the Wildcat team: sprinters Amy Bouta and Michelle Engelsman. Diver Ruben Vaca. Standouts Maria Papadopoulou and Jenny Vanker. Distance swimmers Caroline Kilian and Katie Zimbone. Breaststroker Jessamyn Miller. Relay specialist Jamie Krohn. Backstroke phenom Kris Souther.

These are more than just names. This is the backbone of Arizona swimming.

Sarah Tolar

Tolar began swimming at age 4. A standout throughout high school, she initially wanted to go to a traditional Pacific 10 Conference power like USC or Stanford. What convinced her to stay in Arizona, she said, was Wildcat coach Frank Busch.

"When I came here, I came here because Frank was so nice to me," Tolar said. "He was so genuine. I love this team. I know it sounds clichˇd, but I felt at home here."

High expectations were placed on Tolar upon her arrival at UA. She joined an Arizona swim team that was both loaded with talent and a legitimate contender to win the NCAA championship.

Tolar made an immediate impact as a freshman, placing second in the 200 freestyle and swimming the anchor leg of the 400-meter free relay to help the Wildcats finish fourth overall.

Omar Ojeda

Ojeda, a diver since age 6, spent his first two years of college at the Universidad del Valle de Mexico in his hometown, Mexico City. Fed up with the inconsistencies and politics of diving in Mexico, Ojeda allowed his friend Ruben Vaca to talk him into transferring to Arizona and joining Vaca on the diving team.

Ojeda said the move has paid off on both the competitive and personal levels.

"It's different. Here you have a whole team, a swimming and diving team behind you," he said. "In Mexico, you depend on you, and that's it. Nobody cares about you. But here, it's like a big family, you know? It's different, but I really like it."

Ojeda has become one of the top divers in the nation in his time at UA, posting a pair of top-three finishes at last year's NCAA championships.

Roland Schoeman

By comparison to the other athletes on the team, Schoeman was a late bloomer. He didn't start swimming competitively until age 15.

From that point forward, Schoeman quickly developed into one of the top swimmers in his native South Africa. In just three short years, he had risen to the ranks of the South African national team, where he qualified for the Commonwealth Games and set a South African record in the 100-meter freestyle.

Schoeman's performance in the national championships attracted the attention of then-Wildcat standout and fellow South African Ryk Neethling, who helped recruit his countryman.

Schoeman says the decision to come to UA changed his life.

"I'm indebted to everybody who allowed me to come here," he said. "The personal growth I've obtained from being in America and being exposed to all these people is probably the greatest thing I've ever accomplished."

Schoeman has worked hard since his arrival in Tucson to help pay off that debt to the team, both in and out of the pool. Competitively, Schoeman has been a rock on an already solid men's team, consistently placing as one of the top finishers in nearly every meet, regardless of the competition. But as a leader in the locker room, Schoeman has proven himself to be just as important.

"I'm in the same position as Ryk was when he was a senior," Schoeman said. "I need to help these guys get through it. They don't know what to expect. The freshmen haven't raced in NCAAs before. It's an overwhelming meet to say the least, and if I can encourage them, put them at ease, then I think my job will be done."

All other success aside, this class has still gone four years without a NCAA title, a fact that does not escape these athletes. Tolar has come the closest to the glory, winning the 200 free at last year's NCAAs, a feeling she describes as "bittersweet."

Tolar said she puts her individual success behind that of the team.

"I would trade (the individual win) for a team win in a second because it's so much of a better feeling," Tolar said.

This weekend, this class will walk onto the deck at Hillenbrand for the last time in their collegiate careers, against the defending national champion Texas Longhorns (No. 2 women, No. 3 men). They'll pass by the north wall one more time, and they'll look up at those names. Tolar. Ojeda. Schoeman. Names that will stay on that wall for years to come. But when they walk out to the pool, these seniors will see that wall, and they'll know there's still one thing missing up there - 2002 NCAA Champions.