This Week --
After a brief one-week break from competition, Arizona State's men's and women's swimming teams head to Southern California for their second and third meets of the season. Friday, Nov. 10 the men take on USC while the women meet UCLA. Saturday, Nov. 11 the women contenst USC while men travel to UC Santa Barbara.
Two Weeks Ago --
Through pounding rain, between flashes of lightning, the men and women of Sun Devil aquatics swept UNLV (Oct. 27) to open up the 2000-2001 campaign. The men topped the Rebels by a score of 163-80, while the women won by a larger 177-60 margin. Senior All-American Scott VonSchoff (Napa, Calif.), senior All-American Marc Briggs (Madera, Calif.) and freshman Rich Jacobs (Seattle, Wash.) each notched a pair of individual victories for the men. Junior All-American Sarah Baham (Arcadia, Calif.), junior Natalie Burgess (Phoenix, Ariz.) and sophomore Claire Hedenskog (Lindome, Sweden) earned two solo wins apiece for the women.
ASU In The Polls -- The bi-weekly College Swimming Coaches Association of America poll debuted Oct. 26 with both the Sun Devil men and women ranked in the top-20. The men are 13th on the CSCAA's list after receiving 99 votes. The women are 19th, garnering 39 votes.
UC Santa Barbara --
Now in his 24th year, Gregg Wilson has led the UCSB men to 22 consecutive Big West Conference titles. After the Big West Shootout Nov. 3-4, the Gauchos are 4-2 overall, their only losses coming against Brigham Young and Washington.
UCLA --
Like the Sun Devils, UCLA's 11th-ranked women will bring an undefeated record into their first Pac-10 Conference meet of the season. Cyndi Gallagher started her 13th season with wins over UC Santa Barbara (174-79) and San Diego (182-90).
USC --
When the No. 6 men of USC take on ASU Nov. 20 it will mark the Trojans' first official meet of the new season. However, the No. 5 USC women will carry a record into Saturday's competition. Before it can face the Sun Devils, USC must challenge the No. 1 women of Arizona Friday.
Last Time vs. UCLA (11/12/99) and USC (11/13/99) --
Over the past two seasons, the ASU vs. UCLA match-up has been so tightly contested that a mere point separates them. In 1998, the Bruins and Sun Devils battled to a 150-150 tie. Then, last year, ASU edged UCLA 122-121 despite taking first-place points in 9-of-13 events ... The men and women of USC have each defeated ASU seven straight times. The last time either Sun Devil team was victorious was in 1992, when the men won 176-124 and the women won 179-119. Last year, the USC women outscored ASU 172-128 in Tempe. The Trojan men won by a smaller margin, 163-137, which was their second-smallest margin of victory in their seven consecutive triumphs.