Men’s Tennis
With competitions in Arizona, Idaho and California during the Olympic Games, the men’s tennis team is looking to continue its winning ways. Victories against Montana State and Utah State gives Utah its first two wins of the year and sends the team packing with a perfect record to defend.
The road is tough, especially for the U, as its dominance has been at home. The U went 9-1 at home last year.
The U has the goal of coming home with a national ranking, and the team will get its chance to earn it, playing Pac 10 powerhouses like Arizona and Stanford.
?LG
Women’s Tennis
Starting undefeated at home is one thing, but still winning while facing good teams on the road is a whole different world; that is what the Utes will be up against over the next month.
“This will be a big test for the team because Purdue has an excellent team this year,” said U coach John Tsumas.
Being ready for the challenge will be a priority when they head up to West Lafayette, Ind., to battle Purdue, and the very next day will head to Evanston, Ill., to take on the Northwestern Wildcats .
Purdue is an up-and-coming team that should give the Utes tough competition, but the extreme competition will come the next day when the Utes take on the Wildcats.
The Wildcats are ranked No. 9 in the nation, but have had a loss to William and Mary.
The Utes will finish the month off against San Francisco and St. Mary’s in consecutive weeks to complete the month long road trip.
?AK
Swimming/Diving
Only BYU is left for both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams before the Mountain West Conference Championships begin in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Coach Mike Litzinger was forced to take his team down to Southern Utah University in Cedar City so the team could practice, as the Ute Natatorium isn’t available during the Games.
Litzinger hopes his team will do well against the Cougars, sending them into the Championships with some confidence.
The women are expecting another good performance and do have a shot for the title. The championships will be Feb. 27 to March 3.
?LG
Track and Field
The Utes have done very well in the first few weeks of the season, but the next few weeks will show how tough they will be at he Mountain West Conference Championship.
Athletes such as April Jackson, Alexandria Nash, Julie and Jen Osguthorpe, Audrey Kiser and B.J. Christensen have been very consistent for the Utes this season.
After the Wilson Motor Invitational, in which the Utes completely dominated the field with seven first-place finishes, the Utes should feel good about how their runners are progressing at this point in the season.
Their next meet will be this weekend, as they compete in the Mountain State Games and then will compete in the ISU Invitational to finish off the regular season and begin preparing for the Mountain West Conference championships.
?AK