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Seniors hoping to lead UA swimming to next level

UA swimming head coach Frank Busch knows his teams have never had a better opportunity.

Both the men's and women's swim teams seem poised to make strong runs at the NCAA championships this year.

"The men are in the best position to finish the highest at the NCAA championships they ever have been," Busch said. "We have the most talent, we're deep enough and so expectations are very high."

The men, ranked No. 4 in the nation, are lead by 1999 NCAA Division I Swimmer of the Year Ryk Neethling, a senior from South Africa.

"He's just a remarkable person," Busch said. "He will leave this school certainly the greatest swimmer in Arizona history."

Along with Neethling, the men's team expects strong performances from senior All-Americans Matt Allen, Bill Bishop, Chris Bundy, Rob Henikman, Nat Lewis and Coley Stickels.

The seniors are focused on winning as a team this year and finishing the season higher than last year's fifth-place finish.

"We all want to win of course," Allen said. "It's pretty much the reason we show up everyday to do what we do."

Also expected to make significant contributions to the team will be freshman Roland Schoeman.

Like Neethling, Schoeman hails from South Africa, "which is really kind of wild because we don't have many foreign kids in our program, but it just so happens that Ryk sort of recruited Roland," Busch said.

Good thing too, because Schoeman is ranked No. 1 in the world in the 50-yard freestyle.

"I've got not predictions (on the season) but as a group we're all striving to be NCAA champions," Schoeman said.

The women, ranked No. 2 in the nation, like the men have championship aspirations.

Unlike the men though, the women's talent is spread out more amongst the classes.

The women are lead by three All-America seniors in Trina Jackson, Annie Joseph and Denali Knapp.

"Those three, are great seniors and provide a lot of leadership," Busch said. "We're in a place right now were most teams would be envious of our strength."

The women's team will also welcome the performances of freshman Beth Botsford and Amanda Beard, who bring with them a total of five medals (three gold and two silver) from the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

"I think as a team we could be really good," Beard said. "I think we could get either first or second this year."

The Wildcats face their first real test of the year when USC comes to Tucson this afternoon. The meet will begin at 1 p.m..

On Saturday the UA men will face the SoCal All-Stars at 11 a.m. and the women will battle UCLA at 1 p.m.

All meets will take place at the Hillenbrand Aquatic Center.