One of the top rivalries on the West Coast renews this week as the Arizona swimming and diving team faces Arizona State in the Division I Meet of the Week.
This has been one of the more underrated rivalries over the years, but has enjoyed a renaissance in the past few years as the arrival of Bob Bowman as coach of Arizona State, and the resurgence of the men’s program at Arizona has this rivalry back on track.
The meet is at noon Saturday local time at Arizona State.
This should be another strong showing by both teams as they look to get ready for the Pac-12 Championships.
Arizona swimming is ranked No. 10 in the latest College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of American (CSCAA) poll, while Arizona State is No. 13. Neither of the women’s teams are ranked, but they are still nationally renown programs and it should be a pretty close meet as well.
The Arizona men are coming off of a loss to No. 1 Texas. Brooks Fail won three events, the 500 free, 1000 free and 200 fly.
Fail has the tip time in the Pac-12 in the 500 free, with a 4:11.79 set earlier this season at the Minnesota Invitational.
Arizona State’s Ben Olszewski has the sixth-fastest time in the conference in 4:19.37.
In the 200 butterfly, Fail has the second-fastest time in the Pac-12 in 1:42.03. The Wildcats are stacked in this event as Brendan Meyer (1:43.63), Brooks Taner (1:44.98) and Etay Gurevich (1:44.93) are all in the top eight in the conference. Meanwhile, Arizona State’s Alex Colson (1:44.98) and Jack Edgemond (1:46.07) are not much farther behind. It could set up to be a pretty exciting event.
In the women’s Division I Meet of the Week, the 500 could also be a strong event as Arizona State has Olympian Cierra Runge (4:37.26), as well as Erica Laning (4:39.96), Kendall Dawson (4:40:24) and Emma Nordin (4:40.99) all are in the top nine in the Pac-12 in the event. Arizona’s Allyson Macias and Kirsten Jacobsen are not too far behind, but it could be one of the more interesting dual meet 500 freestyles of the season.
Nordin and Runge also have the top two times in the Pac-12 in the 1650 free.
The other women’s event that could be stellar is the 100 breaststroke. Arizona State’s Silja Kansakoski is second-fastest in 59.66 and Arizona’s Mallory Korenwinder is third in 59.74.
The men’s and women’s races should make the Arizona-Arizona State rivalry another stellar meet and exciting Division I Meet of the Week.