Swimmers set for Cal, Stanford
The Arizona men's and women's swim teams continue their dual-meet season this weekend, facing two top-ranked squads.
In meets today and Saturday, the UA swimmers will be taking on the No. 1-ranked Stanford men, along with the No. 2 Cardinal women and two other top 10 squads when they swim against California.
Last season saw the Arizona women finish second in the nation, only behind the Cardinals, who also joined their men's squad in winning a national championship. The Wildcat women will get their first shot at revenge today at Hillenbrand Aquatic Center at 2 p.m.
"There is no doubt in my mind that this weekend will see some great races," UA head coach Frank Busch said. "For our team to do well, we need to come up victorious in the close races."
The task at hand for Busch is not an easy one. In defending their titles, the Stanford men have racked up a 5-0 record while the women have only suffered one loss to the No. 2-ranked Georgia Bulldogs.
Leading the way for the Wildcats is junior Ryk Neethling, who competed with the UA team for the first time against Northern Arizona last weekend since returning from a semester of training in his native South Africa.
The four-time NCAA champion and 1996 Olympian showed that he has not lost a step when finishing first both in the 50-yard freestyle (21.2 seconds) and the 100 free (45.99).
"More than any events in our regular season, I am looking forward to swimming against Cal and Stanford," Neethling said. "This year, I think our men have as good a chance (at a victory) than any of the years past."
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