Wisconsin to Compete at Arizona
October 28, 2004 | Men's Swimming & Diving
The Wisconsin men's and women's swimming and diving teams (3-0) will face the Arizona Wildcats at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29 at the Hillenbrand Aquatic Center in Tucson, Ariz.
'This meet will definitely give us a better feel of where we are at as a team, and allow us to test some youngsters,' head coach Eric Hansen said. 'I think both teams will match up quite well.'
This will be the third meet of the season for the Badger men and women, who each claimed victory against the Iowa Hawkeyes last week. Senior Carly Piper (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.), juniors Anna Trinidad (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Amalia Sarnecki (Ann Arbor, Mich.) and Sarah Hernandez (Chico, Calif.), and sophomore Susan Johnson (Toledo, Ohio) all had individual first place finishes. Swimmer of the Week Tim Liebhold (Chapel Hill, N.C.) and captain Adam Mania (Hickman, Neb.) lead the Badger men.
Current or former Wildcats claimed a total of eight medals, including four gold medals, at the 2004 Olympics. Their collective efforts included one world record (men's 400-meter freestyle relay/3:13.17), one Olympic record (women's 200-meter breaststroke/2:23.37), and one American record (women's 200-meter individual medley/2:11.70).
The University of Arizona women return to the season with a defending national champion, 10 All-Americans and 20 letterwinners. Senior Emily Mason was named the 2004 NCAA Champion in the 400-meter freestyle, setting an NCAA record with a time of 4:01.58. Other swimmers to watch for are All-Americans Jessica Haynes, Marshi Smith, Erin Sieper, Jenna Gresdal and Ryann Hackett.
On the men's side, two seniors, All-Americans Byron Jeffers and Nate Stevens, will lead the Wildcats with the help from four juniors, all of whom earned All-American honors in 2003-04 in multiple events. 2004 Olympians Lyndon Ferns and Simon Burnett are among the juniors returning, along with Tyler DeBerry and Dave Rollins.
Last year, the University of Arizona got the upper hand on the women 's team, posting a 172.5-128.5 victory, while the men's team was defeated 175-121.
