College Slate Set to Heat Up

By John Lohn

CRANBURY, New Jersey, January 4. NOW that the holiday season has passed, the collegiate scene is ready to heat up once again with a good amount of dual-meet action. If not this weekend, the majority of the teams will have returned to competition by next weekend. Of course, it all leads to the NCAA Championships in March. Here's a look at the upcoming schedules for the top 10 teams in the nation on the male and female side.

Women

1. Stanford: The Cardinal, headed by freshman Julia Smit, will travel to Arizona Jan. 12 for a big-time clash of Pac-10 squads.

2. Arizona: Before the Wildcats meet Stanford, they'll see Oregon State and Northern Arizona in Friday action.

3. Auburn: The Tigers have one more weekend off before they square off on their home turf against the University of Texas.

4. California: Jessica Hardy, the American-record holder in the 100 breaststroke, will lead the Golden Bears against Arizona State on Jan. 12.

5. Texas A&M: The Aggies are enjoying a sterling campaign and will try to continue their hot streak during a Friday matchup with Miami.

6. Florida State: The Seminoles have been surging since the season started and will do battle with Penn State today.

7. Georgia: The Bulldogs and Kara Lynn Joyce are getting ready to meet eighth-ranked Southern Methodist on Saturday.

8. Southern Methodist: The Mustangs can make a major statement Saturday with a win over the high-powered program of the University of Georgia.

9. Florida: The Gators will get back to work next week when the Southeastern Conference school meets Virginia of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

10. Michigan: The Wolverines have another week off before returning to competition next weekend by hosting the Michigan Invitational.

Men

1. Texas: The top-ranked Longhorns will have a chance to solidify their standing next weekend when they travel to third-ranked Auburn.

2. Stanford: The breaststroke duo of Nate Cass and Paul Kornfeld will guide the Cardinal into action against Arizona on Jan. 12.

3. Auburn: The four-time defending NCAA champion is gearing up for a dual-meet showdown with Texas on Jan. 12 in Alabama.

4. California: A busy schedule awaits the Golden Bears, who will face Arizona and Michigan in Friday action and Arizona State and Michigan on Saturday.

5. Southern California: Dave Salo's Trojans will meet the University of Washington in a Pac-10 contest on Friday.

6. Arizona: The Wildcats, who were exceptional at December's Texas Invitational, will tangle with California and Michigan on Friday.

7. Minnesota: The Golden Gophers will get some sun when they take part in the Hawaii Invitational on Jan. 7.

8. Northwestern: The Matt Grevers-led Wildcats are staring at the Dallas Morning News Invitational next weekend.

9. Georgia: The Bulldogs have one more week to wait before hosting Texas in a showdown of ranked squads.

10. Florida State: The Seminoles have been a surprise member of the top 10. Today, they'll clash with Penn State.

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