Dual Meet Records
Men 5-2, 2-1 in Pac-10, Women 8-2, 3-1 in Pac-10

Date    Event                           Time/Result
October
30      @ UNLV                          W-195.5-95.5 (Men); W-227-67 (Women)    
November
12      USC                             W-124-119 (Men); W-148-93 (Women)
13      UCLA                            W-186-122 (Women) 
19      Northern Arizona (women only)   W-224-67 (Women)
        UC San Diego                    W-230-70 (Men); W-125-63 (Women)        
December
3-5     @ Texas Invitational            All Day/Austin, Texas

January
8       Michigan (men only)             W-174-126 (Men)
14      Georgia (women only)            W-158-107 (Women)
21      @ California                    L-108-135 (Men); W-132-111 (Women)
22      @ Stanford                      W-124-119 (Men); L-112-131 (Women)
28      Texas           
29      Texas                           L-206-147 (Men); W-247-106 (Women)

February
12      @ Arizona State                 1 p.m./Tempe, Ariz.
24-26   @ Pac-10 M&W                    All Day/Los Angeles, Calif.
        Diving Championships
24-26 @ Pac-10 Women's                  All Day/Long Beach, Calif. 
        Swimming Championships
March 
2-4     @ Pac-10 Men's Swimming         All Day/Federal Way, Wash.
        Championships
5 @ Belmont Qualifier                   All Day/Long Beach, Calif.
(If necessary)
10-11   @ NCAA Diving Qualifier         All Day/Seattle Wash.
16-18   @ Women's NCAA Championships    All Day/Indianapolis, Ind. 
23-25 @ Men's NCAA Championships        All Day/Minneapolis, Minn.

Cats in Cyberspace: For the latest news, notes and results on not only the swimming and diving squads, but also the other 18 intercollegiate sports that the U of A has to offer as well, log on to the official athletic website of the University of Arizona https://arizcats.com

Wildcat Swimmers Face Arch-Rival Sun Devils to End 1999-00 Dual Meet Season

This Week's Schedule: This Saturday, Feb. 12, the Arizona men's and women's teams, both ranked No. 2 in the country, will swim the Arizona State Sun Devils at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center in Tempe. The meet will begin at 1:00 p.m. and be contested in short-course meters. The Arizona State men are coming off a 206-147 loss to No. 1 Texas, on Saturday, Jan. 29, at the Hillenbrand Aquatic Center in Tucson. The Sun Devil men are currently ranked No. 11 and are 2-6 overall. The ASU men have also won four consecutive dual meets against UA, including last year's 150-143 upset in Tucson. Meanwhile the Sun Devil women have accumulated a record of 3-3 on the year and are ranked 18th in the country. In its most recent action, the ASU women's squad defeated Northern Arizona, 139-99, on Sunday, Jan. 30 in Flagstaff. The Wildcat women are also in the midst of a five-year winning streak versus ASU.

Last Time Out: (WOMEN) The second-ranked Arizona women's squad captured five of six events in both the morning session and afternoon session of day two, helping them run away from No. 12 Texas by a score of 247-106 (1/29/00) at Hillenbrand Aquatic Center. For Arizona, three Cats won two events each and UA captured both relay events that were contested on Saturday to help them record their fourth victory of the year against a Top-25 team. In her final appearance at Hillenbrand Aquatic Center senior Trina Jackson was victorious in both the 100 fly (2:04.87) and 1,650 free (16:41.16) helping to build a 93 point lead after the completion of the first two sessions. Also strong for Arizona was the freshman duo of Amanda Beard and Beth Botsford. Botsford notched first-place finishes in the 100 back, with a time of 56.11 and 200 back (2:00.40). The wins allowed Botsford to remain undefeated in both those events as she pushed her record this year to 11-0 in each event. Beard was victorious in the 100 breast (1:04.58) and 200 breast (2:14.81) and joined Botsford on the first-place 200 medley relay team (1:44.33).

(MEN) Meanwhile, the No. 2 Wildcat men fell short in their bid to upset top-ranked and undefeated Texas (1/29/00), falling by a final tally of 206-147. For the Wildcat men senior Ryk Neethling closed out his amazing career at the Hillenbrand Aquatic Center by cruising to victory in the 1,650 free and the 200 free. In the mile, Neethling dominated the field from the start and finished in a time of 15:02.88, over 27 seconds ahead of his nearest competitor. In the 200, Neethling clocked a first-place time of 1:38.04, bettering that of teammate, junior Jay Schryver, who finished second (1:39.04). Other Arizona event winners versus Texas included sophomore Roland Schoeman (100 free; 43.99) and freshman Jeff Dash (200 fly; 1:47.09). Cats in the Polls: The men enter the meet ranked No. 2 in the nation in the Jan. 20 edition of the Speedo America College Swimming Coaches Association Top-25 poll, while the Arizona women are also ranked second. On the women's side, the Wildcats trail only defending-champion Georgia, while the men find themselves behind No. 1 Texas. Other Pac-10 men's teams in the rankings include No. 4 California, No. 5 Stanford, No. 6 USC, and Arizona State in the No. 11 spot. In the women's poll, Stanford is No. 3, USC No. 4, California No. 5, UCLA No. 15 and ASU at No. 18.

Summer 1999; Wildcats Around the Globe: The Arizona men's and women's swimming teams recently completed a busy summer that showcased Wildcat athletes in action in four different countries, on three different continents. At the 1999 Pan Pacific Games in Sydney, Australia two current Wildcats showcased their skills as members of the United States squad, while another competed for South Africa. The competition took place August 23-29, at the Olympic swimming venue that will be used during the 2000 Olympic Games. Arizona senior Ryk Neethling, the 1998-99 NCAA Division I Swimmer of the Year, added to his list of accolades by earning three medals for his native South Africa. He started the competition on day one by claiming the bronze medal in the 400-meter freestyle by clocking a 3:46.31 and followed with another third place finish on day three, in the 200-meter freestyle (1:48.17). Already the most decorated male swimmer in school history, Neethling garnered a silver medal in the 1,500-meter freestyle by swimming a 15:02.40, on the final day of competition. Wildcat junior Jay Schryver also competed in this prestigious event by taking part in the 50-meter freestyle (23.24), 100-meter freestyle (50.82) and the 200-meter freestyle (1:51.69). On the women's side, UA sophomore Sarah Tolar placed in all three events that she entered. Tolar's biggest accomplishment of the weekend came when she advanced the finals of the 200-meter freestyle on day three and finished in seventh place overall, by clocking a 2:01.14. Day two saw Tolar swim a 4:22.39 in the 400-meter freestyle, to finish in 16th place and on day five she finished 10th in the 100-meter freestyle (56.77). The most impressive performance of the summer came at the 1999 Pan American Games (August 1-7) in Winnipeg, Canada, as four Arizona swimmers hauled in a total of seven medals, while competing in only nine events. Arizona senior Denali Knapp lead the way for the Cats as she set two Pan American Games records and came away with two gold medals and one silver. The first record came in the 200-meter backstroke, as Knapp finished in a time of 2:12.48, ahead of Wildcat teammate, freshman Beth Botsford, who clocked a 2:12.95, to earn the silver medal. In the 4x100-meter medley relay Knapp lead off the race by swimming the backstroke leg in a time of 1:01.85, helping the United States team to a Pan American games record time of 4:06.08 and the gold medal. Knapp also swam to a silver medal in the 100-meter backstroke with a time of 1:02.45, while Botsford earned the bronze in the same race (1:02.48). The highlight on the men's side belonged to senior Matt Allen who medaled in two separate Pan American events. Allen earned a silver medal as a member of the 4x100-meter medley relay squad, as he lead off with a backstroke leg time of 55.84. Meanwhile, in the 100-meter backstroke Allen finished in third place, after swimming a time of 55.86. Fellow Arizona senior Nat Lewis competed in two distance freestyle events at the games, finishing fourth in the 1,500-meter freestyle (15:44.15) and eighth in the 400-meter freestyle (3:58.99). On the island of Palma de Mallorca, Spain (July 8-13) four Wildcat athletes earned four medals and joined thousands of athletes from around the globe, to experience the magic of the World University Games. Wildcat sophomore Katie Zimbone acquired the first of her two medals, as she swam the leadoff leg (2:03.19) of the gold-medal winning 800-meter freestyle relay squad. Arizona teammate, sophomore Caroline Kilian swam the third leg (2:04.74) of that same relay to take home a gold medal of her own. Zimbone garnered her second medal as she finished third in the 400-meter freestyle, in a time of 4:17.30. Also on the women's side, freshman Amanda Beard, the American record holder in the 100-meter breaststroke, earned a silver in that same event, by racing to a 1:10.23. The Arizona men were represented by senior Rob Henikman, who placed 10th in the 100-meter breaststroke, in a time of 1:03.94.

Golden Newcomers: Beth Botsford, a Garrison Forest High School product (Timonium, Md.), who was a double gold-medalist at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, is beginning her first year at the University of Arizona this season. Botsford, who swam for North Baltimore Aquatics was the 1996 Olympic champion in the 100 meter backstroke in 1996 and was also a member of the gold medal-winning 400 meter medley relay squad at the Olympic Games. She is currently a member of the 1998-99 United States National Team, which is comprised of USA swimmers who rank in the top-eight in the world in their respective events. Botsford was also a World Championships team member in 1998 and holds the distinction of being the 12th fastest woman ever in the 200 backstroke (2:10.66). Irvine (Calif.) High School swimmer Amanda Beard, who won a gold medal and two silvers at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta is another freshman newcomer to the UA swimming program. Beard, who has swam for the Irvine Novaquatics club team for the last eight years, won silver medals in the 100 and 200-meter breaststroke at the Atlanta Games and won the gold on the United States' 400-meter medley relay. She is the American record holder in the 100m breaststroke (short course) with a time of 1:06.67 in December, 1999 and is a three-time U.S. national champion.

Next Time Out: Thursday, Feb. 24 through Saturday, Feb. 26 Arizona will be the host school for the 2000 Women's Pac-10 Conference Swimming Championships to be held at the Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool in Long Beach, Calif. Meanwhile, the Pac-10 Diving Championships (men and women) will be held at the McDonalds Swim Stadium on the campus of USC, during the same days.