Teams: UC Davis at UC Irvine; UC San Diego
Where: Anteater Aquatics Complex – Irvine; Canyonview Pool – San Diego
When: Today and Saturday, all day; Sunday at 11 a.m.
Who to watch: A sophomore transfer from California, BJ Scoggan will be competing in his second swim as an Aggie. He pulled off two wins in the dual against UC Santa Cruz two weekends ago, claiming the top spot in both the 200 free (1:47.95) and the 200 IM (2:13.44).
The Elk Grove, Calif. native has already made his mark in the pool as a member of the 2005 and 2006 U.S. Junior National Team. As a Jesuit High School graduate, Scoggan won back-to-back San-Joaquin section title in the 200 IM in high school.
Did you know? The UC Davis men’s swimming team has never beaten UNLV or BYU, but it will have to advance to the winner’s pool on Saturday.
Preview: Imagine waking up early enough to make a 6 a.m. flight, traveling to Irvine and then immediately dive into a pool for your race at noon, and then doing it again the next day, and again the next day.
That’s exactly what’s in store for the men’s and women’s swimming and diving team this weekend as the Aggies travel to not one race but two. The team will be swimming in the Anteater Shootout today in hopes of qualifying for the finals on Saturday, then will drive to San Diego Saturday night to compete in a dual with UC San Diego Sunday morning.
“We’re asking them to swim at their best for three consecutive days,” women’s head coach Barbara Jahn said. “They really have to be mentally tough.”
The weekend will be tough indeed as both teams will be facing BYU, UNLV, and conference rival Cal State Northridge. On Sunday, the dual with the Tritons should also be a good swim for the Aggies. The women’s team has not lost the dual to UC San Diego since the 2003-2004 season.
The men’s side is looking to put forth its best swimmers in the pool, as a victory against BYU is definitely on the agenda.
“BYU is always good and well coached, and we’re excited about that,” men’s head coach Pete Motekaitis said.
As for UC San Diego, the men’s team has not lost a dual with the Tritons since 2004.
–Andrea Gutierrez
