This weekend, UCLA swim and dive will travel to compete against long-established powerhouses in Stanford and Cal. However, its athletes are not intimidated by rank.
“I think they’re definitely beatable, especially at this time in the season,” said sophomore swimmer Linnea Mack. “It’s championship season, so they’re probably trying to figure out what their best lineup is.”
Mack said that although both No. 1 Cal and No. 3 Stanford have fast swimmers with top times, her own team has a good amount of depth.
“Compared to them we might not have the top time(s) but we have really strong people in every single event,” Mack said.
The No. 13 Bruins seem to relish the challenge more than anything.
“I kind of like that they’re the top because I feel that they challenge us,” said junior swimmer Allison Wine. “We can become a better team by competing against them.”
Last year, Stanford and Cal both won their respective dual meets against UCLA by large margins of roughly 60 points each. At the time, some Bruins attributed the crippling defeat to their lack of mental readiness. In the practices leading up to the weekend this year, however, they seem to be in prime condition.
“I’m very confident with what we have done in practice, what I’m seeing out of the kids – I’m really pleased with their attitude and their effort,” said dive coach Tom Stebbins.
Wine, who swam for UCLA in her freshman year and took a gap year in her second year while attending community college, said that she has witnessed a noticeable difference in the team since returning.
“I feel like it’s gotten better,” Wine said. “I think that we hold ourselves at a higher standard now.”
The Bruins will be competing somewhat shorthanded this weekend, only taking three divers out of the meet limit of four. Freshman diver Maria Polyakova will be at home in Russia competing in the Russian national championships, and team captain and junior Montana Monahan is currently recovering from a broken thumb.
Despite having to face two of the top teams in the nation without a couple of key athletes, the Bruins seem eager for the challenge.
“We’ll see if we can knock those guys down,” Stebbins said. “That’s our job.”