The U swimming teams will be going on different paths this weekend-but hopefully for the Utes, it will just be a divergence in opponents and not in performance for the men and women. The men--who are coming off a strong performance despite a loss to UNLV--will travel to Indiana for the Purdue Invitational this weekend.
Stating that an athlete would like to avoid an injury at all costs is hardly a profound revelation, but if an injury was inevitable, it probably couldn't have been timelier for Kelly Talavou. Talavou injured his knee during the Utes' loss to New Mexico on Oct.
Greg Marsden and the U gymnastics team are continuing to stockpile their talent. One year removed from one of the best recruiting years in U gymnastics history, Marsden received written commitments from two of the most highly sought gymnasts in the country.
The Red Rocks have already had to deal with some injuries as they prepare for their 2007 season opener in mid-January, and while nobody can predict where and how an injury will occur, nobody expected the injuries to hit the coaching staff the hardest.
Both starting portions of the U swim and dive team will take their 2-0 starts back on the road Saturday for an important early Mountain West dual meet against UNLV. The Rebels may pose the stiffest challenge for the swim team so far. The Rebel men are looking to defend their conference championship, and though they are 0-1 on the year, they present plenty of very tough competition for the Utes.
Managing a full class schedule and competing in university athletics is often a tricky balancing act for U athletes. Sterling Richards spent four years adjusting to the dual life of student and All-American Diver on the U swimming team, but nothing prepared him for the juggling act he currently performs as full-time student and Ute diving coach.
The head coaches of UNLV and Utah are two of just a handful of guys with intimate knowledge of the spread offense. After all, Mike Sanford still utilizes the offense he helped make famous at Utah between 2003 and 2004. On that same token, head coach Kyle Whittingam saw it at every practice as the Ute defensive coordinator, and his team still utilizes a large portion of the offense today.
In an odd bit of coincidence, the men and women of the U's swimming and diving team came away with identical 170-90 victories over their respective UC San Diego counterparts on Saturday. With the pair of wins, both portions of the team moved to 2-0 on the season.
The head coaches of UNLV and Utah are two of just a handful of guys with intimate knowledge of the spread offense. After all, Mike Sanford still utilizes the offense he helped make famous at Utah between 2003 and 2004. On that same token, head coach Kyle Whittingam saw it at every practice as the Ute defensive coordinator, and his team still utilizes a large portion of the offense today.
The first time Red laid eyes on Andy Dufresne in Shawshank Prison, he admitted that he didn't think much of the man. Similarly, Warden Norton vastly underestimated Dufresne and his expertise with an eight-inch rock hammer, which eventually led to Dufresne's triumph and the downfall of Norton's empire.
