Utah Women’s Swimming and Utah Divers Travel to Compete in Pac-12 Championships
University of Utah Utes Men’s Swimming and Diving Team performs during a dual meet vs. University of Southern California at the Ute Natatoriam in Salt Lake City on Feb. 23, 2020. (Photo by Abu Asib | Daily Utah Chronicle)
February 25, 2020
The University of Utah women’s swim team (6-3 overall, 3-3 Pac-12), as well as both diving teams, are headed to the Pac-12 Championships this week. The events will take place in Federal Way, Washington at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center, beginning on Wednesday, Feb. 26 and extending through Saturday, Feb. 29.
The women’s team is coming off of an excellent season — they have not lost a dual meet since last October. They have also recorded five straight victories over Washington State, UNLV, Nevada, Denver and in-state rival BYU.
Utah will have their work cut out for them as they face off against the difficult Pac-12 conference. The conference has five schools in the Top 25, three in the Top 10 and two in the Top Five, including the No. 1-ranked team in the nation. The competition will include Arizona, No. 17 Arizona State, No. 4 California, No. 1 Stanford, No. 24 UCLA, No. 8 USC and Washington State.
The Utes saw mixed results during the course of the season in Pac-12 matchups. They began with a huge 174-126 win over Arizona, with big performances from freshmen Charity Pittard, Lizzy DeCecco, Leyre Casarin, Maddie Woznick and Kayla Miller. But the Utes would then struggle and lose three straight against No. 23 UCLA, No. 7 USC and No. 25 Arizona State.
However, Utah bounced back and finished with two wins in conference, including a dominant 173.5-85.5 victory over Washington State on Senior Day.
The men’s swim team (3-4 overall, 1-2 Pac-12) will have a week to prepare before they head to Washington to participate in the Pac-12 championships. Their events will take place on Wednesday, March 4 and extend through Sunday, March 7.
The men’s team is currently ranked No. 25 in the nation and are coming off of an impressive 164-91 victory upsetting No. 21 USC.
“We have made a conscious choice to do more lifting and harder training this season,” head coach Joe Dykstra told Utah Athletics. “It has affected us in dual meets, but we pulled off slightly as the season comes to a close. I think that preparation has us really popping and looking sharp heading into the Pac-12 Championships.”
Both teams are looking to make a splash as the Pac-12 Championships. It will require extraordinary performances to beat out some of the best teams in the nation.
