Senior Day Showdown: Wildcats Battle Minnesota!

TUCSON, Ariz.— Arizona Swim & Dive will compete against the Minnesota Golden Gophers (No. 24 men’s, No. 23 women’s) on Saturday at Hillenbrand Aquatics Center, marking the Cats’ last home competition of the season and Senior Day.

During the meet, 12 seniors from Arizona will be acknowledged. 

Following mixed outcomes in their last two competitions, the men’s and women’s teams are preparing for this event. The Wildcat women triumphed over NAU in their season opener on Jan. 3, winning decisively with a score of 162.5-80.5. Last week, the Arizona men faced a defeat against Harvard, finishing 122-178. 

Notable Performers:

Mason Nyboer from Arizona had outstanding performances against the Harvard Crimson last week, finishing first in both the 500 Free (4:26.07) and 1000 Free (9:10.19). 

Another remarkable performance this season was by Malia Rausch during the matchup against NAU two weeks prior, where she secured top finishes in the 500 Free (5:03.12) and 200 Free (1:52.06). 

Throughout the current season, Daniel Young, Ralph Daleiden, Tomas Lukminas, and Haakon Naughton have been significant contributors to the Wildcats’ success. Lukminas has registered Arizona’s fastest times this season in the 50 Free (19.53) and 100 Free (42.20), with Daleiden closely following in both events (19.69 and 42.33, respectively). Both athletes have achieved NCAA B Cuts in these races.

At the Wolfpack Invite, junior Haakon Naughton recorded two personal bests along with two of the nation’s elite times for the 100 and 200 Fly. His finish of 45.27 in the 100 Fly places him fourth in Arizona’s history and 17th in the nation. Naughton’s time of 1:40.55 in the 200 Fly marks the eighth fastest nationally and is the second best in the program’s history. 

This season, Young boasts the top time for the Cats in the 100 BR (52.66, NCAA B Cut). 

On the men’s diving side, Gage DuBois from Arizona remains dominant. He has been named Big 12 Diver of the Week three times this season, and last week he earned first in the 3m (378.60) and second in the 1m (341.40). 

For the women’s diving team, Brooke Earley and Zara Ayazi have also received weekly conference recognition once, with Ayazi being honored as Big 12 Diver of the Week following her impressive performance against NAU, where she took first in the 1m (286.73). Earlier this season, Earley finished sixth in the 1m event with a score of 293.00 and placed 13th in the Women’s 3m competition at USA Diving Winter Nationals.

Golden Gophers to Observe: 

Minnesota’s distance squad boasts several top-20 performances. Senior Bar Soloveychik’s time of 8:52.82 in the 1000 Free ranks him 13th nationally, closely followed by teammate Joey Tepper (8:54.10, 18th overall). Among the women, Eliot Kennedy holds the NCAA’s ninth spot in the 100 Free (9:34.79) and the 20th position for the 1650 Free (16:08.24). 

Freshman Jacob Johnson has recorded the 15th fastest time in the 100 Fly (45.21), narrowly edging out Naughton’s 45.27 by .06 seconds. Johnson also set a new school record in the 200 Fly (1:41.56), claiming 18th nationally for that event and trailing Naughton by one second. 

Furthermore, Minnesota’s Kaiser Neverman ranks sixth in the nation for the 100 I.M. (48.40). 

Minnesota’s Livi Wanner recently achieved two ‘B’ cuts in the 50 free (22.21) and 100 free (49.13). Following this accomplishment at the Minnesota Invite, Wanner was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week. Meanwhile, Arizona’s Lexi Duchsherer has the fastest time for women this season in the 50 Free (22.26).