Arizona ends home season with matchup against Arizona State

There will be no storming the pool if the Arizona men's and women's swim and dive teams defeat rival Arizona State this Saturday at Hillenbrand Aquatic Center.

Mark It · Swim and Dive will meet Saturday, 1p.m. at Hillenbrand Aquatic Center

Despite the fact that ASU beat the Wildcats last year, the revenge factor is not on the minds of the Wildcats, as they are more interested in preparing for the championship meets that are fast approaching.

With the Pacific 10 Conference and NCAA Championships on the horizon, head coach Frank Busch is busy preparing his team for a top showing at those championships, rather than being caught up in one last dual meet of the season, even if it does come against rival Arizona State.

"If you ask our team if they want to win this meet, of course they will say yes," Busch said. "Many of our swimmers are resting, or in the middle of their training that has them focusing on swimming times that qualify them and has them peaking for the NCAA championships."

While Busch downplays the importance of defeating ASU, it will be a good final test for the Wildcat swim teams as the Sun Devils come in with nationally ranked men's and women's teams.

The Sun Devil men öö led by Nick Brunelli, the top-ranked 200-yard freestyle swimmer in the country öö are currently ranked No. 13 in the latest poll with a dual meet record of 5-5. The Sun Devil women are a deep squad as well, currently ranked No. 14 in the latest polls with a record of 4-7 in dual meets this season.

"The races again will be good this weekend," Busch said. "Will the times be as fast as we hope they are in a few weeks at the Pac-10 championships? Maybe not, but it will still be a good meet."

The Wildcat swim teams are looking for continued excellence in the water, and not just this weekend. As they head toward the championships, their core group of swimmers will be looked toward to produce ÷ including junior Juan Veloz and freshman Lyndon Ferns on the men's side and the dominating women's trio of senior Beth Botsford and sophomores Emily Mason and Jessica Hayes.

Both the men and women Wildcat divers have played integral roles all season during the dual meets and will continue to do so as championship time rolls around. The men, led by senior captain Scott Koenig and juniors Josh Anderson and Alex Vollelunga, will be looking to end the dual meet season on a high note. Junior Claire Febvay, who has been impressive all season, will look to place well and prepare for the Pac-10 Diving Championships in two weeks.

Saturday may be the last dual meet of the season, but it also marks the last time a core group of senior Wildcats will swim at the Hillenbrand Aquatic Center. The women will say goodbye to Beth Botsford, April Beltran, Jennifer Hess, Lindsey Highstrom, Julie Manitt and Annie Joseph. The Wildcat men will honor Scott Koenig and Jeff Dash for their years in the pool as Wildcats.

Saturday's meet will take place at Hillenbrand Aquatic Center at 1:00 p.m. Admission is free.