No. 18 Arkansas heads to SEC Championship
UA Media Relations
Issue date: 2/18/09 Section: Sports
With a program-best 10 wins under its belt, the No. 18 Arkansas swimming and diving team heads into this week's Southeastern Conference Championship to face its biggest challenge of the season, competing against four of the top-10 swimming and diving teams in the country.
One of five SEC squads currently ranked in the top 25 by the College Swimming Coaches of America Association, the Razorbacks (10-1, 3-1 SEC) will be in the pool this week against No. 1 Georgia, No. 5 Florida, No. 6 Auburn and No. 7 Tennessee.
Reigning NCAA champion Georgia started the season ranked No. 2 behind Arizona but moved into the top slot on Nov. 13 and hasn't budged since, ending the regular season with a 9-0 record.
Last year's SEC champion, Auburn, enters this week's championship meet in the No. 6 slot, the Tigers' lowest ranking of the season. Auburn distanced itself from the field in a hurry at the 2008 SEC Championships, finishing with 761.5 points. The second-place Gators scored 706 points.
Tennessee, the Razorbacks' only loss this season, came in fourth last year behind the Bulldogs, who placed third.
The Kentucky Wildcats, who finished in fifth place at last year's championship meet, have received votes in each of the seven polls put out by the CSCAA and were ranked No. 19 at one point this season.
LSU edged Arkansas for sixth place at the 2008 meet, the Tigers earning 238.5 points to the Razorbacks' 229. Arkansas' seventh-place finish tied the program-best finish.
This year, with the additions of Yi Ting Siow and Leah Pierce in the pool and freshmen Alex Roman and Liana Bugslag on the boards, the Razorbacks are aiming to close the gap with the top four this year.
In her first three meets with Arkansas since transferring from Wisconsin last January, Siow is eight-for-eight, winning all of her events with an average margin of victory of 2.81 seconds. The three-time Olympian also set a school record time of 1:01.68 in the 100-meter breaststroke against Kansas Jan. 22.
One of five SEC squads currently ranked in the top 25 by the College Swimming Coaches of America Association, the Razorbacks (10-1, 3-1 SEC) will be in the pool this week against No. 1 Georgia, No. 5 Florida, No. 6 Auburn and No. 7 Tennessee.
Reigning NCAA champion Georgia started the season ranked No. 2 behind Arizona but moved into the top slot on Nov. 13 and hasn't budged since, ending the regular season with a 9-0 record.
Last year's SEC champion, Auburn, enters this week's championship meet in the No. 6 slot, the Tigers' lowest ranking of the season. Auburn distanced itself from the field in a hurry at the 2008 SEC Championships, finishing with 761.5 points. The second-place Gators scored 706 points.
Tennessee, the Razorbacks' only loss this season, came in fourth last year behind the Bulldogs, who placed third.
The Kentucky Wildcats, who finished in fifth place at last year's championship meet, have received votes in each of the seven polls put out by the CSCAA and were ranked No. 19 at one point this season.
LSU edged Arkansas for sixth place at the 2008 meet, the Tigers earning 238.5 points to the Razorbacks' 229. Arkansas' seventh-place finish tied the program-best finish.
This year, with the additions of Yi Ting Siow and Leah Pierce in the pool and freshmen Alex Roman and Liana Bugslag on the boards, the Razorbacks are aiming to close the gap with the top four this year.
In her first three meets with Arkansas since transferring from Wisconsin last January, Siow is eight-for-eight, winning all of her events with an average margin of victory of 2.81 seconds. The three-time Olympian also set a school record time of 1:01.68 in the 100-meter breaststroke against Kansas Jan. 22.
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