Meet of the Week Preview: Southern California at Arizona

By Jason Marsteller

PHOENIX, Arizona, November 6. THIS weekend, SwimmingWorldMagazine.com features a Pac 10 showdown as Southern California heads to Tucson, Ariz., to battle the Arizona Wildcats in a Meet of the Week.

Here is a quick preview of the match-up:

Date and Time: Friday, November 9, 2007 at 2 p.m.
Location: Tucson, Ariz.
Facility: Hillenbrand Aquatic Center

Southern California's Last Time Out:
While the women last competed at the SMU Invite on Oct. 27, where they placed fourth overall in a unique format, the men have gone three weeks since beating Notre Dame, 158-104.

At the SMU Invite, each team could only bring eight swimmers and have only one swimmer per heat. USC finished fourth overall in the meet with 259.5 points. Texas A&M came in first (330), followed by SMU in second (306), Florida State (267), USC, Wisconsin (258.5) and Alabama (233).

Rebecca Soni came up big for the Women of Troy with a Perkins Natatorium pool record in the 200 yard breaststroke with the NCAA qualifying time of 2:10.25. The previous pool record of 2:11.05 was set in 1998 by Kristy Kowal from the University of Georgia. Soni followed that up with a second place finish in the 200 yard IM with an NCAA consideration time of 2:03.26. Over the course of the two-day meet Soni finished first in the 400 yard IM, first in the 100 yard backstroke, first in the 200 yard breaststroke, second in the 200 yard IM and was a member of the winning 400 yard medley relay team. That string of performances earned her Swimmer of the Meet honors.

For the men, Vanni Mangoni won a trio of raced to led USC to victory over Notre Dame.

Mangoni won the 100 (51.33) and 200 back (1:50.31) as well as the 400 IM (3:59.39). Additionally, USC dominated the breaststroke events. Kevin Bartell led a 1-2-3 finish in the 100 breast, winning in 57.36. Dillon Connolly was second (57.41) while Kazu Miyahara was third (57.44). Later in the 200 breast, Miyahara won the race (2:05.61), just ahead of Connolly (2:05.71).

Looking forward with Southern California head coach Dave Salo:
We are looking forward to taking on the Arizona teams to see where we are in our season. The kids have been training very hard and need to get some competition in to judge what they need to work on for the end of the fall season. Arizona is coming off a great year last year, so they have a lot of momentum. They will present a tough task for our teams (men and women), but we are looking forward to the challenge.

Arizona's Last Time Out:
Arizona swept Wisconsin on Nov. 2 at home. The men downed the Badgers, 172-116, while the women beat Wiscy, 166-128.

Cory Chitwood had a day to remember coming in first in both the 100 backstroke (50.20) and the 200 backstroke (1:49.83). Other first place finishers for the Wildcats included: Matt Biel in the 1000 free (9:28.68), Marcus Titus in the 100 breaststroke (56.19), Nicholas Nilo in the 50 free (20.70) and in the 200 breaststroke, Josh Arreguin finished first with a time of 2:04.79.

For the women, the 200 medley relay team of Hailey DeGolia, Annie Chandler, Lara Jackson and Taylor Baughman who won with a time of 1:40.65. Jackson also finished first in the 50 free with a time of 22.70. DeGolia also came in first place in the 100 backstroke with a time of 54.23. Other Wildcat first place finishers included: Annie Chandler in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.96), Lara Jackson in 50 free with a time of 22.70, Courtney Cashion in the 100 free (50.51), Jacquelyn Craft in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:16.55 and Ana Agy in the 100 butterfly with a time of 55.03.

Looking forward with Arizona head coach Frank Busch:
Dave [Salo] is doing a great job of building that team in the manner he wants it to be. Dave is a great coach, and I admire how he is putting together the team. It is our first Pac 10 dual meet, and we are looking forward to swimming somebody in our conference. Our kids are anxious to swim USC and UCLA the next day too.

Top 2007-08 Times Comparison:
Men:
50 Free
SC: 20.36, Richard Gosper
AZ: 20.70, Nicholas Nilo
100 Free
SC: 45.47, Richard Gosper
AZ: 44.83, Darian Townsend
200 Free
SC: 1:39.31, Buddy Turner
AZ: 1:37.47, Darian Townsend
500 Free
SC: 4:41.86, Kevin Little
AZ: 4:35.50, Matt Biel
1000 Free
SC: 9:44.12, Kevin Little
AZ: 9:28.68, Matt Biel
1650 Free
SC: N/A
AZ: N/A
100 Back
SC: 51.33, Vanni Mangoni
AZ: 50.20, Cory Chitwood
200 Back
SC: 1:50.31, Vanni Mangoni
AZ: 1:49.83, Cory Chitwood
100 Breast
SC: 57.36, Kevin Bartell
AZ: 56.19, Marcus Titus
200 Breast
SC: 2:05.61, Kazu Miyahara
AZ: 2:04.79, Josh Arreguin
100 Fly
SC: 50.35, Brandon Lovell
AZ: 48.55, Albert Subirats
200 Fly
SC: 1:52.21, Brandon Lovell
AZ: 1:53.12, Cory Chitwood
200 IM
SC: N/A
AZ: 1:48.63, Darian Townsend
400 IM
SC: 3:59.39, Vanni Mangoni
AZ: N/A
200 Free Relay
SC: N/A
AZ: 1:24.97
400 Free Relay
SC: 3:06.09
AZ: N/A
800 Free Relay
SC: N/A
AZ: N/A
200 Medley Relay
SC: 1:31.84
AZ: 1:30.21
400 Medley Relay
SC: N/A
AZ: N/A
1M Diving
SC: 299.10, Steven Starks
AZ: 309.14, Matt Bisordi
3M Diving
SC: 335.10, Steven Starks
AZ: 374.03, Matt Bisordi

Women:
50 Free
SC: 23.84, Kristen Lahey
AZ: 22.70, Lara Jackson
100 Free
SC: 51.06, Kristen Lahey
AZ: 50.51, Courtney Cashion
200 Free
SC: 1:48.81, Rachael Waller
AZ: 1:49.87, Leone Vorster
500 Free
SC: 4:52.92, Whitney Hentzen
AZ: 4:56.00, Carly Beaudreau
1000 Free
SC: 10:10.33, Brittany Allen
AZ: 10:07.63, Joni Keith
1650 Free
SC: N/A
AZ: N/A
100 Back
SC: 55.05, Kristen Lahey
AZ: 54.23, Hailey DeGolia
200 Back
SC: 2:02.48, Whitney Stephenson
AZ: 2:01.25, Kathryn Thompson
100 Breast
SC: 1:00.81, Rebecca Soni
AZ: 1:01.96, Annie Chandler
200 Breast
SC: 2:10.25, Rebecca Soni
AZ: 2:16.55, Jacquelyn Craft
100 Fly
SC: 55.96, Kristen Lahey
AZ: 54.86, Dana Christ
200 Fly
SC: 2:02.53, Rachael Waller
AZ: 2:01.69, Jenny Forster
200 IM
SC: 2:03.26, Rebecca Soni
AZ: 2:03.41, Carly Beaudreau
400 IM
SC: 4:18.09, Rebecca Soni
AZ: N/A
200 Free Relay
SC: 1:36.36
AZ: 1:34.78
400 Free Relay
SC: 3:26.51
AZ: N/A
800 Free Relay
SC: 7:33.19
AZ: N/A
200 Medley Relay
SC: 1:44.21
AZ: 1:40.65
400 Medley Relay
SC: 3:42.53
AZ: N/A
1M Diving
SC: 248.60, Alexis Demond
AZ: 241.57, Holly Kast
3M Diving
SC: 283.75, Kim Popp
AZ: 250.58, Allison Scaife

* – denotes meter conversion

MOTW, Southern California at Arizona Map

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