Friday, January 30, 1998
Bruins ready to dive into meets
SWIM: Stanford Cardinal, Cal Bears pose back-to-back challenge
for team this weekend
By Steve Kim
Daily Bruin Contributor
Rain or shine, two swim meets in two days. The Bruins are ready
for some fast swimming as they prepare to host powerhouse Stanford
and formidable Cal.
Today, the Cardinal pays the Bruins a visit at the Men’s Gym
pool. Included in the party are Olympian sprinter Catherine Fox,
who will compete head on with UCLA sophomore Keiko Price and world
champion butterflier Misty Hymen, who will take on senior Jill
Jenkins.
Bruin senior breaststroker Lindsay Etter will look to beat
Stanford’s Ellen Estevol. Estevol finished first at the Pac-10
championships two years ago, but Etter redeemed herself the next
year at the same championships. Etter is looking forward to racing
her long-time competitor and participating in the meet as a
whole.
"It’s going to be fun racing Stanford," said Etter. "There are
going to be some great races in there. They have a lot of
depth."
Head coach Cyndi Gallagher agrees on Stanford’s depth and
reputation. She said: "Stanford’s been winning national
championships for so many years (except last year, when they lost
to USC). A lot of kids have this dream of swimming for Stanford, so
they get top recruits."
Gallagher also thinks swimming against Stanford will push the
Bruins up a notch. She said: "We’re lucky to swim against a fast
team. That’s exciting. I think you can swim faster when you race
against fast people."
But don’t misunderstand. Gallagher and the team are not
intimidated by Stanford’s reputation or star swimmers.
"I think they may intimidate other swimmers, but we don’t look
at it that way," she said. "I mean, they still have to put on their
swim suits and swim, too. They’re just another swimmer."
"We can swim great and not win. We’re definitely not going to
roll over for Stanford."
Price takes the laid-back approach. "It’s just a matter of
staying focused, concentrating on the races and having fun. I think
we should definitely try to have fun," she said.
For the home meet against Cal on Saturday at noon, a win is
within reach. Cal has an artillery of three foreign swimmers who
provide worthy matches against the Bruins.
UCLA and Cal have had a big rivalry. Last year, Cal took the win
with a difference of only one point. This year, just about every
Bruin wants their title back.
"As far as swimming goes, we have a really harsh relationship
with Cal right now," said Jenkins, a backstroker. "It’s going to be
really close and everybody’s going to swim her heart out."
Senior long distance swimmer Cindy Bertelink said, "We’re
looking to turn the tables. I definitely think we’re capable of
doing much more than we did last year. We’re going to be able to
step it up".
Etter also has something to say. "I know we have a better team
than they. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t beat them. I would
love to see everyone, especially the freshmen, step up and beat
people to the wall."
So the Bruins are confident against Cal. But what about the fact
that they have to race Cal only a day after they race Stanford?
Racing two days in a row can take its toll.
Gallagher brushes that off by saying, "We just have to get used
to it. We have to have two great swims. We’re going to swim hard
the first day. For the second race, we’re going to swim faster or
as fast. It’s going to be tougher the next day because when you’re
rested, it’s a lot easier. But we still can do it. We have to."