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UA narrowly misses upset

Of all the second-place finishes in UA history, few will compare to the one earned by the women's swimming and diving team at last weekend's NCAA Championships in Indianapolis.

Arizona entered the three-day meet knowing it would be hard-pressed to overtake the defending champion Georgia Bulldogs, which defeated Arizona 165-135 earlier this season in Tucson.

"We basically were annihilated by them," UA head coach Frank Busch said.

On paper, Arizona was even more of a long shot. Busch said that according to pre-meet rankings, Georgia was predicted to defeat Arizona by 160 points.

But Arizona, which defeated Stanford to win its first Pacific 10 Conference title last month, ignored the qualifying predictions and swam a nearly flawless meet. In the end, though, the Bulldogs had too much depth and held on for a dramatic victory to earn another national title.

"I think we maxed out our effort but we were just outmanned by a great team," Busch said.

Georgia racked up 490.5 points while Arizona finished with 472. Stanford (397), California (311.5) and Auburn (207) rounded out the top five.

"We are really excited, believe me," UGA head coach Jack Bauerle said last night. "It was an absolute battle between us and Arizona."

Entering the final race of the meet - the 400-meter free relay - Arizona trailed Georgia and needed a win along with a fifth-place finish or lower from the Bulldogs to claim its first national title.

Georgia, though, proved too tough and won the event to lock up the championship. The UA team of sophomores Jenny Vanker, Sarah Tolar and Emily Mastin, and senior Denali Knapp finished second with a time of 3:38.89, which was just more than one second slower than the Bulldogs.

"I was quite worried (going into the last race), but I was proud of our kids because they didn't swim conservatively, we went after it," Bauerle said.

Individually for Arizona, freshman Beth Botsford dominated the 200 backstroke. Her time of 2:06.70 was the fastest by an American woman and the fastest on U.S. soil, and was .61 seconds off the world record.

In the same event, which was the second of the day, Knapp placed fourth to give the Wildcats a much-needed point boost.

Botsford also finished third in the 100 backstroke, while Knapp placed sixth and freshman Julie Manitt ended up eighth.

In yesterday's opening 1,500 freestyle event, senior Trina Jackson placed second to get Arizona off to a fast start.

Bauerle was not surprised that Jackson sparked Arizona to a near upset bid.

"She has been truly the best competitor in the NCAAs these last four years," he said.

But UGA senior Kristy Kowal was too much for Arizona to overcome. Kowal won the 100 and 200 breaststroke events as well as the 200 individual medley relay title, giving her seven individual titles in her college career.

"I wasn't concerned with who I was racing, I just wanted to give it my best for Georgia," Kowal said last night. "That was my main goal."

Freshman Amanda Beard also had a good meet for the Wildcats, as she finished second in the 200 breaststroke and fourth in the 100 breaststroke.

The UA relay team of Jackson, Tolar, Vanker and Mastin also captured the 800 free title on Saturday.

Other Wildcats that turned in solid performances include Tolar (second in the 200 free and sixth in the 100 free), Mastin (eighth in the 200 free and 12th in the 100 free), Vanker (13th in the 100 free), sophomore Erin Vogt (sixth in the 200 butterfly), junior diver Lindsay Berryman (sixth in the 10-meter competition and 18th in the three-meter) and junior Adrian David (eighth in the 10-meter).

Although Arizona fell just short in its upset attempt, the team is ready to make its run next season.

"Next year is going to be crazy because we're just going to get stronger," a hoarse-voiced Botsford said. "(Georgia) has to be scared of us next year."