ATHLETE OF THE WEEK (Nov. 10 - Nov. 16)
Northern Arizona’s Rachael Foe and Taryn Harris have been named Western Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Athletes of the Week, respectively, for the week of Nov. 10-16.
Foe, a junior swimmer from Ada, Mich. (Forest Hill Central HS), won all three of her events against WAC foe Idaho on Nov. 14 in the 146-95 win over the Vandals. She was part of the winning 200 medley relay team to start off the meet, and also earned individual wins in the 200 IM (2:08.53) and the 100 freestyle (52.93). Against Washington State on Nov. 15, Foe took third in the 50 free (24.18), second in the 100 fly
and was part of the second-place 200 freestyle relay team that posted a WAC-best time of 1:35.24.
Harris, a sophomore diver from East Wenatchee, Ore. (East Wenatchee HS), won both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events against Idaho. She earned a win in the 1-meter event with 256.80 points, the third-best mark in the WAC, and a 3-meter win with 243.68 points, the sixth-best score in the conference so far this year on the 3-meter board. The sophomore helped score points toward a 146-95 win against WAC foe Idaho.
This Week in WAC Swimming- Three Western Athletic Conference schools will head to Long Beach, Calif. to compete in the Nike Cup, Thursday, Nov. 20 - Saturday, Nov. 22.
The Arizona Diving Invitational will also host three WAC schools when New Mexico State, Northern Arizona and San Jose State travel to Tucson, Ariz. The San Diego Diving team will be the fourth diving team in the conference on the road for a two-day event when the Toreros go to the Redlands Diving Invitational (Redlands, Calif.). Idaho closes out the swimming and diving weekend when the Vandals host Seattle University in a dual meet on Saturday, Nov. 22.
TEAM NOTES
Boise State Broncos
Boise State swimming and diving won their third meet of the season 199-106 as they hosted the Fresno State Bulldogs last week. The Broncos took the top spot in all 17 events of the dual meet, and broke two school records en route to the team victory. The win was the third of the year for the Broncos, who will hit the road on Dec. 4 to head to the Husky Invitational in Federal Way, Wash. The divers will head to the BYU Invitational on Dec. 5 in Provo, Utah.
Fresno State Bulldogs
Two Fresno State swimmers earned season bests in Boise last week in the Bulldogs second WAC match-up of the season against the Broncos of Boise State, falling 199-106. Fresno State travels to the campus of Cal Poly for the Mustang Invitational Dec. 5-6, 2008 in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Hawai?i Rainbow Wahine
The Rainbow Wahine coming off of a tough Big West Shootouta few weeks ago in Irvine, California. Hawai?i swimmers next travel to Federal Way, Wash. to compete in the Husky Invite while the diving team gears up to compete in the Texas Diving Invitational in Austin, Texas.
Idaho Vandals
Idaho freshman Katie Hendricks was the star for the Vandals Friday in their 146-95 loss to Northern Arizona on Nov. 14. The Vandals will take on Seattle at the UI Swim Center, Friday, Nov. 21 at 5 p.m.
Nevada Wolf Pack
The Nevada swim team will travel to Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach, Calif. to compete at the 2008 Nike Cup this week. The Wolf Pack has not competed in the Nike Cup since the 2006-2007 season when the Pack came in second to Stanford and ahead of BYU and Pacific. There will be no diving competition at the Nike Cup.
New Mexico State Aggies
The Aggie swim team is off for another week, but the diving team will travel to Tucson, Ariz. to compete in the Arizona Diving Invitational, hosted by the University of Arizona, Nov. 21-22. NMSU returns to the pool on Dec. 6 when it travels to Flagstaff, Ariz. to take on WAC foe Northern Arizona.
Northern Arizona Lumberjacks
With wins in 11 of 13 events, the NAU swim and dive team dominated fellow WAC foe Idaho to win by a score of 146-95 on Nov. 14. Although the Lumberjacks have defeated Idaho the past two years at home and on the road, this was the most decisive victory. NAU’s 200 medley relay team started things off right, as Rachael Foe, T.J. Williams, Renee Rother and Tami Binek swam the winning time of 1:48.34. NAU finished the day with Claire Ferro, Kate Schafer, Danielle Filipp and Vivian Landeck earning a win in the 800 freestyle relay with a time of 7:53.30. NAU, now 5-5 in dual meets this season, earned seven second-place finishes on the day, along with five third-place finishes.
San Diego Toreros San Diego participated in the Big West Shootout two weeks ago hosted by UC Irvine. The Toreros faced off against four opponents earning a win over Cal State University Northridge 96-34. They posted losses to Brigham Young University, UNLV, and UC Davis. Freshman Sarah Geerdes had a strong performance on the day. She had a 50 freestyle time of 24.73 for eighth place, a seventh place finish in the 100 freestyle with a time of 53.16, and a seventh place finish in the 200 breaststroke with a 2:29.02 time. The Toreros return to the pool this week as they compete in the Nike Cup on November 20-22 in Long Beach, California.
San Jose State Spartans
San Jose State won 13 of 16 events, with seven individual victories coming from a trio of true freshmen when the Spartans defeated WAC foe Boise State 197-102 on Nov. 1. It marked SJSU eighth straight win as it improved to 8-1 in dual meets on the season. The Spartans prepare for the annual Nike Cup, held again in Long Beach, Calif., this year, from Thursday, November 20, through Saturday, November 22.
FRESNO STATE COMPETES IN SWIMMING AND DIVING FOR FIRST TIME IN 5 YEARS ? 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. Jeanne Fleck was chosen to head up the program in the 2008-09 season.
WAC CHAMPIONSHIP RETURNS TO SAN ANTONIO ? The 2009 edition of the WAC Championship returns to Palo Alto Natatorium in San Antonio, Texas. Nevada will look to defend its 2007 and 2008 titles in hopes of capturing its third straight WAC championship. The championship will be held Feb. 25-28, 2009.
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
WAC Championship Apparel:
Swimming & Diving Championship Apparel will be available online or for purchase at the event. Items available include t-shirts, long sleeve t-shirts, and hooded sweatshirts.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP:
Regionals: March 12-14 or 13-15, 2009
Finals: March 19-21, 2009
College Station, Texas
Student Recreation Center Natatorium
Host: Texas A&M