The U swimming and diving teams are in Oklahoma City, Okla., today, where they will begin competing in the four-day MWC championships.
“We look really good,” U head coach Mike Litzinger said. “This is the sharpening phase of the season and everyone is looking strong and ready to compete.”
The women’s team finished the regular season at 9-2 and tied Colorado State for the MWC dual meet title with a conference record of 6-1. It was the best season in the history of the women’s program, and their first title of any kind.
The men’s team turned in its best season since 1995 with a regular-season record of 7-1, including a 3-1 conference mark. The Utes were undefeated until the last meet of the season against perennial conference champs BYU, where they lost to the Cougars 144-95.
Both teams have a chance at the conference title, but the women have the best shot because there is no team that clearly dominates the rest.
“Any place above last year’s finishes will be a success,” Litzinger said. “But the women definitely have a shot to win it, and will be in the mix by Saturday.”
The men, however, would have to overcome a very strong BYU squad to be crowned the champions.
“BYU is kind of hitting their peak this year, and we’re still kind of young,” Litzinger said. “But it will certainly be a battle for second place between us, Air Force, UNLV and Wyoming.”
Win or lose, both Ute squads should undoubtedly improve on their efforts from a year ago. The women finished fourth and the men finished fifth, in contrast to the two BYU squads, which finished first.
For the women to repeat their regular-season feat, they will have to overcome their diving deficit. Since they do not have a diving team, they automatically forfeit 30 points before each meet. However, since this meet is between eight teams, those 30 points should be spread out, and the deficit won’t be as severe as it would be during a dual meet.
So if the diving deficit is not too severe, the Utes should have an excellent chance to win the MWC title, as they have outswam every opponent this year. Their only conference loss, which came at the hands of BYU, was by less than 30 points and therefore a direct result of the diving deficit.
The swimmers that will have the biggest impact on the outcome for the women’s side will be Kristen Kaiser, Tessa Greegor, Meghan Demchuk, Amy Barefield and Marta Stepanczuk.
Kaiser is the defending conference champion in the 400 yard individual medley. Her time of 4 minutes, 21.22 seconds is a school and conference record.
She could also contend for the 200-yard butterfly and the 200 yard breaststroke.
Greegor just missed winning the 100-yard breaststroke last year, and is looking to win that event this year.
Barefield and Stepanczuk have dominated the freestyle events lately. Barefield has won four of her last five 50- and 100-yard freestyles, and Stepanczuk has won her last six 500- and 1,000 yard freestyles.
Demchuk is one of the conference’s best in the 200 butterfly, and looks to claim that title for the first time in her career.
The men will have to rely on their bread and butter of diving and three strong swimmers. Cody Rempfer has been the Utes’ best swimmer all season, winning two or more events in every meet this season but his last in Provo.
Evan Castro and Jonathan Larsen have been his foremost sidekicks, both often winning two or more events in each meet. Castro was the only Ute to win a swimming event in Provo two weeks ago, and could contend for the 100-yard breaststroke title.
Rempfer and Larsen were “touched out,” or barely beaten to the wall in several events in their last meet, and could reverse their fortunes in neutral waters.
Sterling Richards is the Utes’ best chance on the boards and could provide much-needed points to his team if he can extend his 3-meter win streak to seven in a row. He has also won five of his last six 1-meter dives.
The MWC Championship, which begins today, will end Saturday, and both Utah teams have chances to finish their respective seasons with conference titles. This would be the first time the program has been able to boast that in a long time.
If the Utes do win, it will not only be the aforementioned stars that will win the meets, but also the younger role players who are capable of stealing points. Litzinger thinks the Utes have these athletes in spades.
“What’s surprising me the most is the performance of our freshmen,” Litzinger said. “It usually takes about a year to get adjusted to what the league has to offer, but these athletes have stepped right in and can definitely help us out this weekend.”