CHRIS CODUTO/Arizona Daily Wildcat Junior Claire Febvay won both the 1 and 3-meter platform events in Arizona's win over Arizona State on Saturday. The meet was the last for the men's and women's squads until the Pac-10 championships later this month.

As the shadows began to set in upon the pool deck of the Hillenbrand Aquatic Center on Saturday afternoon, it seemed as if once again the Arizona men's swim and dive team would fall short of victory.

The men trailed in-state rival No. 13 Arizona State by 20 points with only two events remaining.

The comeback started with a sweep of the top three places in the 200-yard individual medley, as freshman Dave Rollins finished first, followed by junior Juan Veloz in second and senior Jeff Dash in third place.

If the Wildcats could finish first and third in the 400 yard freestyle relay, they would earn their first victory of the season.

The team of freshmen Simon Burnett and Lyndon Ferns, along with juniors Luis Rojas and Eric la Fleur, touched the wall first in first place.

The Arizona victory was sealed seconds later when the relay team of juniors Zack Ferguson and Veloz, and sophomores Dan Wimer and Dash touched the wall in third place. Final score: Arizona 150, Arizona State 149.

"I really can't say enough about how much these guys wanted to win," head coach Frank Busch said. "I think the girl's meet was in hand early on, and the guys' meet came down to the end, and they just really wanted it."

The No. 6 Wildcat women improved their dual meet record to 6-2 with the 166-131 victory over the No. 14 Sun Devils. The women were again led by sophomore Emily Mason, who earned three more victories on Saturday. Junior Jessica Wagner swept both the 100 and 200 yard breaststroke events, while freshman Lisa Pursley and senior Beth Botsford also picked up victories.

"I think this is a great momentum builder for us," Busch said about the victories over Arizona State. "I feel pretty confident about this team. They're gamers."

Lost in the shuffle of the back-and-forth competition was the fact that for a group of Wildcat seniors, this was the last chance they would have to swim at home in the Hillenbrand Aquatic Center pool.

"It is a lot more emotional than I thought it would be," senior Beth Botsford said about swimming in her last home meet. "I didn't think it was going to end like this, it was so overwhelming."

By picking up the victories over Arizona State, the Arizona men's and women's swim and dive teams are looking to build on that momentum as they head to the conference championships. The Pacific 10 Conference championships begin Friday, Feb. 27 in Federal Way, Washington.