DENVER ? Five WAC teams are in action this week, looking to make waves of their competition, while the other three teams will have several weeks off to prepare for meets in late January. On Jan. 17, New Mexico State will travel to Reno, Nev., for a mid-week league competition against the Wolf Pack. Hawai?i will host the Rainbow Wahine Diving Invitational Jan. 18-19, while San Diego competes with cross-town rival UC San Diego on Jan. 18. Boise State welcomes the Aggies of New Mexico State on Jan. 19, and Nevada travels to Davis, Calif., to compete with UC San Diego and UC Davis in dual competition. Idaho, Northern Arizona and San Jose State will all be back in action on Jan. 26, with the Vandals traveling to Boise State to meet the Broncos, the Lumberjacks welcoming Grand Canyon to Flagstaff and the Spartans welcoming Cal State East Bay to San Jose.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK ? Nevada junior Candice Minette has been named the Western Athletic Conference Swimming & Diving Athlete of the Week, for the week of Jan. 7-13. This is the first career WAC Athlete of the Week honor for Minette.
Minette, a native of Glendale, Ariz. (Mountain Ridge), captured both the one-meter and three-meter diving events in Nevada’s 191-104 dual victory over WAC foe Boise State. Minette won the one-meter event with a score of 310.40 and then smashed the competition in the three-meter with a school record score of 396.95, which was set back in 1999. She also helped the Wolf Pack sweep the top four spots in both diving events. Her first-place score of 396.95 in the three-meter diving event is the best in the WAC this season.
Other nominees included: Katelyn LoFland of Boise State led the Broncos against conference foes San Diego and Nevada, finishing first in the 500-yard freestyle (5:14.06) and second in the 1,000-yard freestyle (10:43.89) against Nevada, and also tallying two third-place finishes against San Diego ... Kelly Conrad of New Mexico State led the Aggies to a decisive win over North Texas on Jan. 8, recording a pair of win in the sprint freestyle events ... Joy Miller of San Diego touched the wall first in both the 100-yard butterfly (1:00.55) and 200-yard butterfly (2:09.59) and finished second in the 400-yard Individual Medley (4:44.09).
NEVADA’S MINETTE REGISTERS RECORD-SETTING DIVES ? Nevada’s Candice Minette captured two first-place finishes in diving events in a dual meet against Boise State on Jan. 12. Minette won the one-meter event with a score of 310.40 and claimed the victory in the three-meter event with a career-high and school record-setting mark of 396.95. Both her one-meter and three-meter scores currently rank first in the WAC. In both diving events, Minette helped the Wolf Pack sweep the top four spots in the meet.
FRESNO STATE TO ADD SWIMMING & DIVING IN 2008-09 ? Fresno State Athletics Director Thomas Boeh announced on Jan. 8 the addition of two women’s sports in a move that reflects the University’s continued commitment to Title IX compliance.
The announcement marks the return of women’s swimming and diving which last competed in the 2003-04 academic year. This addition comes after the recommendations of the Gender Equity Plan Task Force, a 13-member campus-community panel charged by the University President John D. Welty to develop a new five-year gender equity plan that will guide the university to maintain Title IX compliance in its athletics program.
Boeh said he expects coaches to be hired and student athletes recruited in time for the teams to compete in the 2008-09 academic year. The intention for the new swimming and diving team will be to practice and compete at a Clovis Unified high school in the near term. The university master plan includes phased construction of a competitive aquatics center.
Boise State Broncos
Boise State returns home from its long road trip, after the Broncos fell to both San Diego (177-123) and San Diego State (184-116) on Jan. 9, and lost to WAC foe Nevada, 191-104 on Jan. 12 ... the Broncos were led by sophomore Katelyn LoFland, who posted season-best times in both the 1,000 and 500-yard freestyle events in San Diego ... LoFland also recorded another first-place finish and a second against Nevada ... freshman Tara Hahto also earned first-place finishes in both the 100-yard breaststroke and 400-yard Individual Medley against San Diego and San Diego State ... up next, Boise State welcomes conference rival New Mexico State on Jan. 19.
Hawai?i Rainbow Wahine
Hawai?i played host to the Wisconsin Badgers on Jan. 12, falling 183-107, finishing the dual meet season at 7-6 ... the Rainbow Wahine were led by sophomore Emma Berry, who touched the wall first in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:51.19 ... other highlights included Amanda McTeague and Brianna De Palezieux, who placed second in the 1,000-yard freestyle (10:21.39) and the 100-yard breaststroke (1:06.89), respectively ... freshman diver Stephanie De Lima also took the one and three-meter diving titles against the Badgers ... up next, the Rainbow Wahine divers prepare for a weekend competition when they host the Rainbow Wahine Diving Invitational.
Idaho Vandals
Idaho returns home from Federal Way, Wash., after competing against the Washington Huskies, dropping the dual 139-115 ... the Vandals were led by senior Adriana Quirke, who turned in a time of 2:07.39 in the 200-yard backstroke to finish first in the event ... senior JoJo Miller also touched the wall first in the 200-yard breaststroke, earning a season-best time of 2:24.02 in the event ... up next, the Vandals will have a much deserved two-week break to prepare for a trip to conference rival Boise State, when they take on the Broncos on Jan. 26 in Boise.
Nevada Wolf Pack
Nevada comes off a victory over WAC opponent Boise State, winning 191-104, and improving its dual meet record to 4-3 ... the Wolf Pack won 12 of 16 events on the day to seal the win over the Broncos ... three Nevada competitors were double individual winners, including freshman Jeanette Tour, who won the 100 and 200-yard backstroke events ... junior Courtney Eads also earned two victories in the 1,000-yard freestyle and the 200-yard breaststroke ... up next, the Wolf Pack will host league for New Mexico State on Jan. 17, before traveling to Davis, Calif. to take on UC San Diego and UC Davis in dual competition on Jan. 20.
New Mexico State Aggies
New Mexico State had a strong showing against North Texas on Jan. 8, defeating the Mean Green, 142-97 in Las Cruces ... the Aggies captured seven individual events and one relay to seal the victory over North Texas ... the Aggies were led by sophomore Victoria Eickerman, who had a season-best performance in the 200-yard butterfly and the 400-yard Individual Medley ... freshman Kelly Conrad also swept the spring freestyle events, touching the wall first in both the 50 and 100-yard freestyle events ... up next, the Aggies prepare for two league competitions, as they travel to Reno to take on Nevada on Jan. 17, before heading to Boise, Idaho to compete with the Broncos on Jan. 19.
Northern Arizona Lumberjacks
Fourth-ranked Arizona and Pac-10 powerhouse Oregon State proved a bit too strong for Northern Arizona, as the Wildcats earned a 174-122 win while the Beavers won by a score of 176-123 over the Northern Arizona on Jan. 4 ... the Lumberjacks were led by senior diver Natalie Hughes, who captured a first and second-place finish in diving events ... Hughes won the three-meter event with a career-high score of 318.75 and placed second on the one-meter with another career-high mark of 293.99. ... the Lumberjacks will have another two weeks off before returning to competition on Jan. 26 when Grand Canyon makes the trip to Flagstaff to compete.
San Diego Toreros
San Diego sent its seniors out on a high note as the Toreros posted a 177-123 victory over WAC opponent Boise State in their final home meet of the season ... senior Joy Miller led the way for the Toreros, earning two first-place finishes in the 100 and 200-yard butterfly events, and also a second-place finish in the 400-yard Individual Medley ... sophomore Kristen Yoon also picked up two first-place finishes in both the 100 and 200-yard backstroke events ... the Toreros return to the water on Friday, Jan. 18 when they take on cross-town rival UC San Diego Tritons at the Canyonview Aquatic Center.
San Jose State Spartans
San Jose State put together a successful weekend away from home, defeating Cal State Bakersfield in a pair of dual meets on Jan. 4-5, before winning its first-ever UC Irvine/Ayres Hotel & Suites Invitational title on Jan. 6 ... the Spartans were led by freshman Caitlin Macky, who compiled a team-best nine combined wins (four individual and five relay) wins over three days ... Macky touched the wall first in the 200-yard IM (2:13.24), the 400-yard IM (4:46.51), the 100-yard breaststroke (1:09.16) and the 200-yard breaststroke (2:29.97) ... up next, the Spartans will have two weeks off before returning to action at home versus Cal State East Bay on Jan. 26.
WAC CHAMPIONSHIP RETURNS TO SAN ANTONIO ? The 2008 edition of the WAC Championship returns to Palo Alto Natatorium in San Antonio, Texas. Nevada will look to defend its 2007 title in hopes of capturing its second WAC championship in a row. The championship will be held Feb. 20-23, 2008.
WAC Championship Tickets:
All-Session Passes (includes all 10 sessions) are $30 for adults and $20 for children ages 18 and under.
Single-Session tickets will be available for purchase at the event (the pool will be cleared at the conclusion of each session). Prices are as follows:
Relays Wednesday evening $5
Prelims Adults $6, Children $4
Diving Adults $6, Children $4
Finals Adults $7, Children $4
An All-Session ticket order form is available online at www.wacsports.com, and is also attached to the end of the weekly Swimming & Diving release.
WAC Championship Apparel:
Swimming & Diving Championship Apparel is now available online or for purchase at the event. Items available include t-shirts, long sleeve t-shirts, and hooded sweatshirts.
A Swimming & Diving Championship Apparel brochure is available online at www.wacstore.com, and is also attached to the end of the weekly Swimming & Diving release.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP ? The 2008 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championship will be held in Columbus, Ohio, March 20-22. Hawai?i tied for 27th in 2007.
Zone Diving (5): March 13-15 or 14-16, 2008
Zone A: University of Buffalo (March 14-16)
Buffalo, New York
Zone B: Auburn University (March 14-16)
Auburn, Alabama
Zone C: Ohio State University (March 14-16)
Columbus, Ohio
Zone D: University of Houston (March 14-16)
Houston, Texas
Zone E: U.S. Air Force Academy (March 13-15)
Oklahoma City Community College
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Finals: March 20-22, 2008
Columbus, Ohio
McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion
Host: Ohio State University
For Ticket Information: 1-800-GOBUCKS
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