A splashy seventh place finish at the NCAA Championships last
year has the UCLA women’s swimming team eager to build on its
success.
It won’t be easy.
Seven seniors who played a key role on that team have graduated,
leaving the Bruins a bit short-handed as they prepare to open the
season at home against UC Santa Barbara and Oregon State on
Saturday.
“This team is very different from teams I’ve had in
the past,” said coach Cyndi Gallagher. “But we’re
still going to be in the top five in the Pac-10, and we’re
going to compete in the NCAAs.”
Saturday’s meet will likely serve as more of a warm-up
than a true test of how the Bruins compare to the elite. Last
season, the Bruins defeated UC Santa Barbara 152.5-102.5 and beat
Oregon State 148-108. However, it will have to be some of the
incoming swimmers who secure the points this year around.
Nevertheless, even without last year’s seniors, Gallagher
believes this year’s squad is capable of another top-ten
finish. Stanford, Cal, Arizona, and USC all figure to be strong
this year, so the Bruins will need to perform well just to finish
in the top half of the Pac-10.
Because this year’s team is so inexperienced, UCLA does
not have the same strengths as it has had in the past. The sprint
relays, where the team receives double points and where the Bruins
have historically been strong, are still untested.
“We have to find out who is going to be a part of these
relays,” Gallagher said. “But we’re expecting
people to step up. We’re hoping Amy Thurman, Kim Vandenberg,
and Katie Arnold will do well.”
Vandenberg, who nearly made the U.S. Olympic team over the
summer, appears primed to be one of those people who will step up.
The junior is the most talented swimmer on the team and should
continue her growth as a swimmer this year.
“Kim Vandenberg is swimming fast,” Gallagher said.
“She has the opportunity, talent, and competitiveness to set
herself apart this year. She needs to dedicate herself to training
and getting enough sleep. Nearly everyone that beat her in the
[Olympic Trials] is still in college.”
Vandenberg is expected to perform especially well in the
sprints, and butterfly in particular. Other swimmers who appear
likely to have good years are Katie Arnold in backstroke, Nicolette
Teo in breaststroke, and Kim Scarborough in the individual medley.
Katie Nelson, who competed in the Olympic Trials over the summer,
is just a sophomore and should also swim well this year in the
freestyle.
The Bruins will use this weekend’s meet to get their first
look at star newcomers Teo and Chiemi Yamamoto. Teo is a two-time
Olympian from Singapore and Yamamoto is a top swimmer from
Japan.
“It’s going to be really good to see how they
perform,” Gallagher said. “We’re going to know
more about our team after this week.”