Three UA coaches will be heading to the Olympics - two from the swimming and diving teams, which are sending 10 athletes to Athens.

UA swimming coach Frank Busch, the 2004 NCAA women's coach of the year, will be making his second straight trip to the Olympics, this time as an assistant for the US women's team.

"I'm very honored to be part of the U.S. staff and I'm probably more proud that I am representing the University of Arizona on this staff. To represent the school and the athletics program is a real honor," Busch said.

Busch, who was on the 1998 U.S. Olympic Committee and was the USA Swimming coach of the year, was head coach for the U.S. at the 1997 Pan-Pacific games and was on the coaching staffs of the 1999 Pan-Pacific team, the 1993 World University Games team and the World Championships teams of1998 and 2003. UA softball head coach Mike Candrea is the head coach for the U.S. team in that sport.

Joining Busch in Athens is assistant swimming coach Rick DeMont, who will serve as coach for the South African team.

"It is great obviously to have coach DeMont going along as one of the coaches for South Africa," Busch said. "I think it says a lot about our program and the people who are associated with it."

Former Wildcat Ryk Neethling, along with Roland Schoeman, who just finished his senior year, and sophomore Lynden Ferns are on the South African team. In 2000, Busch was a coach for South Africa.

Eric la Fleur, who was a senior in 2004, qualified for the games for Sweden in the 50-meter freestyle and the won 100 free and 50-meter backstroke. La Fleur is the 10th current or former Wildcat swimmer competing in the 2004 Olympics.

"I think that is quite a bit," Busch. "That's pretty awesome; these are kids that have been training with us all along."

At the track trials in Sacramento, junior Angel Perkins advanced to the semifinals of the 400-meter run, finishing 13th, while ex-Wildcat Doug Reynolds finished 11th in the discus. In the long jump, senior Sharifa Jones finished 11th, while former UA star Brianna Glenn fouled all three times.

In the women's pole vault, former Wildcats Andrea Dutoit and Amy Linnen, who just finished her senior year, both reached the finals, finishing ninth and 11th, respectively, while senior Connie Jerz did not advance past the qualifying round.

Although no current Arizona swimmers made the highly regarded USA team, Busch was very impressed with their performances.

"We had a great meet, a great meet, almost everyone swam their best times and put themselves in a position to reach the semifinals and a lot of them were in the finals, which means they were in the top eight," Busch said.

Busch was most impressed with sophomore Whitney Myers, junior Erin Sieper and junior Tyler DeBerry, all of who made the finals at least once. Myers finished just one spot short of the Olympics team in the 200-meter butterfly, causing Busch to be very optimistic about the young swimmer's future.

"Her performances were really extraordinary; she is just really someone who is coming up in the sport, so she's a got a great future," Busch said.

Much of the reason Busch earned a spot on the team was the performance of UA student and former Arizona swimmer Amanda Beard. Beard, who kept Busch as her personal coach after leaving the team early, won two events, took the world record in the 200-breast and qualified in another.

"Needless to say she is in a great place going into Athens," Busch said.