Arizona women’s swimming team ended its season by earning a fifth-place finish at the 2012 NCAA Championships in Auburn, Ala., last weekend.
The Wildcats had marked the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championship on their calendar as the target date for their peak performance. Even though the Wildcats weren’t able to come away with the title, they finished higher than their No. 9 ranking.
Arizona earned fifth place behind three other Pac-12 teams. California was the repeating champion, USC finished in third place and Stanford in fourth.
“Fifth place is something we can build on and I am really proud of the effort that they put forth,” head coach Eric Hansen said. “I am really proud of their total body work this year and the progress that we made.”
The Wildcats were able to make adjustments and pull it together after losing three of their last four meets of the dual season. Major preparations came from the Pac-12 Swimming Championship, where the final tweaks could be made — making the Wildcats NCAA Championship-ready.
Senior Alyssa Anderson performed for her last time at the collegiate level in the NCAA National Championship, producing a seventh-place finish in the 200-fly. Anderson won five 2012 All-America honors, coming in the events of the 500-free, 200-free, 800-free relay, 200-fly, and 400-free fly.
Sophomores Margo Geer and Sarah Denninghoff were both able to record top-five individual finishes. Denninghoff placed fourth in the 200-backstroke and Geer earned third place with a new school record of 47.14 in the 100-free.
Geer and Anderson’s efforts along, with junior Monica Drake and sophomore Kait Flederbach, earned Arizona a fourth-place finish in the 400-free relay.
The No. 1-ranked men will compete in the NCAA Championships from March 22-24 in Federal Way, Wash.
Pair of men’s divers qualify for NCAAs
Arizona seniors Ben Grado and Andres Guerra will compete in the NCAA Championships after receiving qualification following Zone E competition.
Grado qualified after earning a second-place finish on the one-meter board during the second day of Zone E. Grado received diver of the month for February and is the first diver to sweep all three events at the Pac-12 Championships since first-year coach Omar Ojeda.
Guerra was able to squeak into the last spot of seven men to qualify. He pushed his place forward by earning runner-up honors for the platform on the last day of competition.
Grado and Guerra will compete in the NCAA Championships from March 22-24 in Federal Way, Wash.
