Wildcats send seven swimmers and two divers to NCAA championship meet in Texas

The Arizona men's swim and dive team will be getting wet at the 2003 NCAA men's swim and dive championships, with hopes of improving on its seventh place performance a year ago.

The event begins today in Austin, Texas, at the Jamail Swim Center on the campus of the University of Texas, the defending champion.

The UA men's swim team has made the trip with a total of nine participants: Seven swimmers, one diver and one alternate diver.

Arizona Alumnus Roland Schoeman won the lone individual title for the Wildcats last year with his victory in the 50-yard freestyle event.

Senior Jeff Dash and junior Eric La Fleur, along with junior diver Josh Anderson, are returning All-Americans for the Wildcat squad that will compete this weekend.

The No. 16 ranked Wildcats will participate in 17 individual events as well as all five relays that will take place over the weekend.

The Wildcat men have faced stiff competition all season, including swimming against six of the top-10 teams competing this weekend.

Host and defending champion Texas will receive a strong fight for the top spot from Pac-10 champion Stanford and SEC champion Auburn, whose women's swim and dive team won the NCAA Championship last weekend. Other teams competing for the top spot will be USC, California, Minnesota and the University of Michigan.

This is the third trip of the year to the University of Texas for UA. Earlier in the year, at the Texas invitational, the men finished in eighth place and also battled Texas, Southern Methodist and Arizona State here in early February.

This pool has been kind to many Wildcat swimmers, especially junior Juan Veloz, who enters the NCAA Championships as the top swimmer in the 200-yard butterfly. His top time was set here at the December Texas Invitational.

Veloz is the favorite in the 200-yard butterfly, but Stefan Gherghel of Alabama and Jayme Carlos of Stanford are seeded second and third respectively in the event, potentially giving the Wildcat star a tough race.

To complete their goal of another top-10 finish, the Wildcats will rely on the stellar freshman duo of Simon Burnett and Lyndon Ferns. Both freshmen will be swimming in at least two events.

Junior transfer Luis Rojas will be swimming in three events and will be looked upon to culminate his solid spring season with a top performance here at the NCAA's.

Junior diver Josh Anderson who finished in fourth place at the NCAA Zone E Diving Championships on the 1-meter platform to qualify for the NCAA Championships will be looked to score points for the Wildcats as well.