NCAA Men’s Weekend Preview

By John Lohn

ASTON, Pennsylvania, November 17. HERE is SwimmingWorldMagazine.com’s weekly look at the weekend schedules for the top-10 ranked men’s teams in the country.

1. Auburn: The Tigers are coming off a trio of wins from last weekend. The three-time defending NCAA champ, Auburn secured triumphs over Virginia, Purdue and Penn State as George Bovell won the 50, 100 and 200 freestyles. This weekend, the Tigers will face in-state rival Alabama in an early-evening clash on Friday.

2. Stanford: Victories from Andy Grant in the 200 and 500 freestyles and wins from Hongzhe Sun in the backstroke events highlighted the Cardinal’s non-scoring meet with California last week. This weekend, Stanford is scheduled to race Thursday through Saturday at the Speedo Cup in Long Beach, Calif.

3. California: The Golden Bears clashed with Stanford in a non-scoring meet last week and followed that competition with a dual-meet triumph over Pacific. Michael Cavic won the 100 free in the matchup with Pacific. This weekend, Cal is scheduled to host its Alumni Meet.

4. Michigan: The Wolverines had last weekend off but earned a victory over Georgia in their last foray. This week, Michigan will square off with rival Michigan State in a meet scheduled for Friday at 6 o’clock. Peter Vanderkaay, a 2004 Olympian and gold medalist in the 800 free relay, is the top gun for the Wolverines.

5. Arizona: Out of dual-meet action since a late-October victory over Wisconsin, the Wildcats are scheduled to battle Southern California on Friday and UC-Santa Barbara on Saturday. Arizona is led by Simon Burnett, the reigning NCAA champ in the 200 freestyle and one of the top swimmers for Great Britain.

6. Texas: The Longhorns posted their second dual-meet victory of the season last week with a 157-143 decision of the University of Southern California. Matt McGinnis posted wins in the 100 and 200 free events and Christian Schurr won both breaststroke races. Texas returns to action Dec. 1-3 when it hosts the Texas Invitational.

7. Florida: The Gators won their second straight dual meet last week with a rout of Florida Atlantic. Bradley Ally is one of the top freshman in the country and major scorer in individual medley and breaststroke action. Florida is scheduled to compete in the Purdue Invitational starting today and running through Sunday.

8. Southern California: Despite three victories by Ous Mellouli, the Trojans dropped a dual-meet showdown with Texas last week. Mellouli was the winner of the 500 and 1,000 freestyles and the 400 individual medley. This weekend, USC travels to Arizona for a Friday meet and to Arizona State for a Saturday clash.

9. Minnesota: The Golden Gophers picked up a win over Georgia Tech last week as Adam Mitchell took top honors in the 200 butterfly and 200 backstroke. This week, coach Dennis Dale will have his squad in action at home as the Gophers host the Minnesota Invitational at the University Aquatic Center.

10. Indiana: The Hoosiers had off last week after taking a trio of wins the previous week against Wisconsin, Louisville and Southern Illinois. Sergiy Fesenko is a solid distance freestyler for the Hoosiers, who will host the Indiana University Invitational this weekend.

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use