The No. 21/NR Arizona men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams were defeated by in-state rivals, No. 1/21 ASU, at Hillenbrand Aquatic Center on Saturday, Feb. 10. ASU clinched victory with a score of 286-111 on the women’s side and 227-73 on the men’s side.
Before the meet, Arizona seniors were honored during a senior day ceremony to celebrate their accomplishments as they move toward graduation in May.
The meet began with the Wildcats showing promise by clinching victory in the women’s 200 medley relay. The relay squad, composed of sophomore Paige Armstrong, junior Maddy Ahluwalia, senior Julia Heimstead and sophomore Julia Wozniak, established an impressive pace with a time of 1:37.20.
While Arizona’s men’s swimming consistently trailed behind No. 1 ASU in every race, the team persevered to secure numerous second and third-place finishes, contributing valuable points to the scoreboard.
Additionally, Arizona’s women also claimed victories in various events, adding to the team’s overall performance.
Heimstead secured victories in both the women’s 200 free and the women’s 100 free. Heimstead dominated the 200 free with a swift time of 1:44.73, claiming first place. Not far behind, senior Tia Lindsay secured third place with a time of 1:47.21 in the same event. Heimstead’s skill led her to another win in the 100 free, clocking 48.73 seconds.
Sophomore Eleni Gewalt showcased her skill in the women’s 100 breaststroke, clinching first place with a commendable time of 1:00.68.
Wozniak demonstrated her swiftness in the women’s 50 free, grabbing the top spot with an impressive time of 22.48 seconds. Furthermore, Grace Anderson secured third place in the same event with a commendable time of 22.99 seconds.
Diving
To add to some of the Wildcat victories, junior Brooke Earley achieved a perfect score by winning first place in both the women’s three-meter (341.63) and one-meter (305.05) events. Gage Dubois also went two for two as he excelled in the men’s one-meter (391.03) and three-meter (377.33) competitions.
Looking ahead:
Over the next three weeks, Arizona will prepare itself for the Pac-12 Championships held in Federal Way, Washington. Mark those calendars as the championships kick off with the men’s and women’s swimming and diving events running from Wednesday, Feb. 28, to Saturday, March 2. This is followed by the men’s swimming championships taking place from Wednesday, March 6, to Saturday, March 9.
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