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Show DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE D14 August 2010 TENNIS UNITING NO MATTER WHO YOU ARC WHERE YOU COME FROM, OR WHEREYOUWANTT. GO AT THE 1 111, UI HAS SOMETHING WAITING FOR YI /1.51717 STOP BY ASUU IN THE STUDENT UNION WITH THIS AD AND PICK UP YOUR 2010 ASUU T-SHIRT! 0111V0111/R4 Learn how at www.asuu.utah.edu Women look for repeat; men face open lineup Jake Bullinger STAFF WRITER The Utah men and women's tennis programs will enter the season with dramatically different approaches. One program is getting ready to repeat as regular-season champions, and the other is looking to reload on graduated talent from a year ago. The women's team enters the year hoping to build on a remarkably successful 20092010 season. Last year, the women's squad swept conference play, going 8-o and winning the first regular-season title for the program since 1983. Despite winning the title, the Utes eventually lost in the conference semifinals to San Diego State and in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Washington, but head coach Mat Iandolo believes his team can rebound from these losses. Iandolo, last season's Mountain West Conference Women's Coach of the Year, is confident that his team can not only repeat as conference champions, but also increase its national prestige. "I want to finish in the top 3o," Iandolo said. "I think that's a legitimate goal." Along with Iandolo's goal, the incentive for another conference title fuels his players. "We got really sweet rings (last year), so everyone wants another," said sophomore Paige Most of the team's top players are returning this season. Key players include Anastasia Putilina, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Player to Watch in the Mountain Region; Evgenia Kryuchkova, and Miles, last year's Mountain Region Rookie of the Year. Miles recently suffered a broken wrist, but she could be back in time to help the Utes defend their title. With the returning talent and a championship already under its belt, another championship opportunity is ripe for the women's team. Meanwhile, the mens team must find a way to make up for lost talent. The Utes finished the regular season fifth in the conference last year, but they have since graduated three key seniors, including Timmy Allin, Jason Smits and Phillip Eilers. The trio was responsible for a combined total of 38 wins in singles competition last season. Eilers was also named last season's MWC co-player of the year. "Our lineup is pretty much open," said head coach F.D. Robbins. "We're hoping the young guys can mature in the fall and be ready when the big matches come around." Along with new talent, Robbins is hoping that his returning players will capitalize on last year's experience and help the team make a run in conference play. Fifth-year senior Stephen Jacobs and junior Benito Suriano will return as Utah's top doubles team. Despite their success in doubles, the duo will need to individually improve their singles game if the Utes are to contend for a conference title. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the men's team, Robbins said he expects his team to do well this year. Jacobs said the team's aggressive style and ability to play at altitude will help them as the year goes on. "I expect us to win a lot of matches, and beat BYU at the end of the year," Jacobs said. j.bullinger@ chronicle.utah.edu SWIMMING & DIVING Recruits to propel team Jeremy Mauss STAFF WRITER The men's and women's swimming teams look to improve back-to-back finishes of sixth and fourth place, respectively, at the Mountain West Conference Championships. Both sides only lost a few swimmers and with a crop of talented swimmers coming in, head coach Greg Winslow is expecting good things this year. "This is the strongest and deepest team on both sides," Winslow said. On the women's side, the Utes return multiple swimmers who qualified for the finals at the conference championships. They also return Hannah Caron, who is the defending conference champion in the ioo-yard butterfly and finished second in the zoo-yard butterfly. Natalie Edge is another returning swimmer who will be defending her conference title in the ioo-yard freestyle. The incoming freshmen on the women's side are a strong group led by Tracy Schwartz, who qualified for the Junior National Championships this past year and should fit in right away to compete in the Mountain West. There is also Samantha Zuch, who is a six-time AllAmerican from Ohio and specializes in all freestyle distances. On the men's side, they bring in one of the fastest sprint freestyle swimmers in the nation with Brent Murray who posted Top io nationally in the 50- and ioo-yard freestyles as a senior in his home state of Georgia. He is also the younger brother of current Ute Eric Mur- ray, who is part of the relay team that set the school record in the Boo-yard freestyle relay last year. "Incoming freshman Brent Murray was one of the fastest sprint freestylers in the country and will join our team as the fastest sprinter on the roster the minute he walks in the door," Winslow said. "Having a talent like Brent join our team will be exciting for the Utah family immediately. Expect Brent to change the face of Utah swimming in the years to come." As for returning male Ute swimmers, Winslow is looking for the team to lean on Karson Applin, who was a conference finalist in the mo-yard butterfly and the ioo-yard breaststroke. The diving team recently hired a new coach, Richard Marschner, who was previously at the University of New Orleans where he sent a pair of divers to the NCAA Zone D meet, the meet prior to the NCAA in the school's second year of competition. "Ellis Walters placed in the top eight at the conference championships and is looking to make it to the NCAAs this year," Winslow said. "Then there is Nelson Foo, who is a dynamic diver who came in at semester and is looking forward to what he can do with a full year of training." With all the new incoming talent mixed in with the returning talent, Winslow hopes to place higher in the conference and fare better against the upper-echelon teams in the league. j.mauss@ chronicle.utah.edu Doodle in class? Put your pen to work. The Daily Utah Chronicle is hiring talented editorial. cartoonists. Contact:6.6eifuss@chronicie.u.tah.edu |