The Arizona swimming and diving teams head to Tempe, Ariz., this weekend to face in-state rival ASU in the final tune-up before the Pac-12 and NCAA Championships, which are held in March.

“We’re just going to go up there and show them what Arizona swimming is all about,” junior breaststroker Kevin Cordes said.

Newly promoted head coach Rick DeMont said that despite several injuries, the Wildcats are on a good trajectory as they approach the pinnacle of their season: the NCAA Championships.

“We aren’t at peak form yet,” he said, “but we have a strong team so we’re going to go out there and represent the U of A the way we should.”

On Wednesday, Cordes was named Pac-12 Swimmer of the Month for the sixth time in his UA career. The American record holder in the 100-yard and 200y breaststroke swept all six individual events he swam in January.

Also recognized for his performance in January was sophomore diver Rafael Quintero, who was honored as the Pac-12 Diver of the Month.

Quintero earned a pair of first-place finishes in the dual meet against Cal and, after a scoring error was corrected, placed first in the 3-meter competition last weekend against Texas.

The diver, who grew up in Puerto Rico, said that he’s working on improving his scores, especially in the 1m event, in preparation for the conference championships and the zone diving qualifiers a week later.

“I’m feeling confident about my dives — I’ve been pretty consistent,” Quintero said. “Everyone [on the diving team] is looking really good and I hope we look even better for Zones and conference.”

—Follow Mark Armao @MarkAmao