The Arizona men’s swimming team had a good weekend as the Wildcats placed third behind Stanford and California in the Pac-12 swimming championships in Seattle.

Prior to the meet, the Wildcats did not see the Pac-12 Championships as a focal point, but more as extra practice before the NCAA Championships begin.

“I think our performance was pretty predictable with what we were willing to invest in this meet,” head coach Eric Hansen said in a press release. “We battled hard and I think it was really important for our preparation for NCAAs. I really believe we are on track to do what we have worked for all season.”

Junior Carl Mickelson was able to win two Pac-12 Championships. He won the 100 breaststroke on Friday with a time of 52.74. On Saturday, the last day of competition, Mickelson beat out 32 other opponents to earn a time of 1:53.12 in the 200m breaststroke and post a NCAA “A” cut.

Senior Cory Chitwood was able to earn second place in the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:41.44, falling behind only Stanford’s David Nolan. Even though Chitwood came in second at this meet, he still holds the fastest time in the country for the event.

Juniors Nic Popov and Giles Smith along with sophomores Mitchell Friedemann and Tommy Gutman placed sixth in the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 2:57.29.

Arizona now has a chance to prepare for the final goal of the season — winning the NCAA Championships. The NCAA Championships will begin on March 22, in Federal Way, Wash.