2006-07 Men's Swimming and Diving Outlook

Oct. 12, 2006

The University of Utah men's swimming and diving team may be coming off a 4-3 season last year, with a 2-3 mark in the Mountain West Conference, but that hasn't sidetracked the team from what it hopes to accomplish each time it hits the water.

"We are coming off a surprising season last year," comments Head Coach Michael Litzinger. "We led the conference championship after two days but I think the youth showed a little bit. This year, we are looking to hold the lead by learning from what we've been through."

The men look to improve from last year's results and contended for a conference championship. "Our goals are the same this year and that is winning the conference championship." While the Utes didn't accomplish this goal last season, they still finished strong in recording a 26th-place finish at the NCAA Championships, the highest finish for any team from the MWC.

Utah will boast a more experienced group this season, which could be a big factor in its success in 2006-07. "In terms of leadership, experience and athleticism this is the strongest senior class I've had in my time at Utah," states Litzinger. Senior swimmers; Matt Bailey, Jeremy Clark, Andrew Cole, David Johnson and David Maasberg along with senior divers Damien Brown and Andrew Jones will be heavily relied upon for the Utes to achieve their team goals this season. This class of seniors contributed the bulk of the team points last season and the time is now for them to step up and lead the team.

The 2006-07 schedule will provide the men's team with several big meets and opportunities to hone their talents against of the top athletes from around the nation. Utah will travel to UNLV, the back-to-back conference champions on Nov. 4. On Nov. 10th, the team will swim at Purdue in a meet that will also include Georgia, Louisville and Penn State.

"The Purdue meet is an opportunity to race some teams on a national level that we normally don't see and we look forward to that opportunity," comments Litzinger.

December 1-3, Utah will participate in the Ohio State Invitational. The team will finish with three straight home meets against Wyoming, Air Force and BYU.

Going into the new season the Utes look to be an improved squad in all disciplines. "We've really improved in our medley relays and our sprint relay teams have always been formidable. Overall we look to have a strong team," says Litzinger.

Sprint/Freestyle The sprint freestyle events will be led by David Maasberg and Matt Bailey. The Utes should receive additional help from Israel national team member Vitali Pushkar-Verbitsky and freshman Bryan Edmunds.

Senior Jeremy Clark will anchor the mid-distance for the Utes, which should be one of Utah's strongest events going into the season. George Evans and Adam Oliver are returning in the mid-distance events as well. Other distance swimmers that should have an impact on the team this season include newcomer Seamus Alger, junior Tanner Folster and Division II All-American Marco Ferraro.

Butterfly Andrew Brown is back for his junior season and will look to challenge in the MWC this season. Vitali Pushkar-Verbitsky will add instant depth in the 100 butterfly and could become a factor in the conference race at season's end. In the 200 butterfly, freshman Will Leonhart will add depth as well.

Backstroke School-record holder Andrew Cole will return for his senior season. Dave Johnson will also be an impact swimmer in the backstroke events. Tanner Folster and Adam Oliver will have opportunities in the backstroke events as well

Breaststroke In the breaststroke, the Utes have turned this event from a weaker point to a very deep event. Michel DeCarolis has developed into a national-level swimmer, while young swimmers William Farr, Spencer Peterson, John Baque and Drew Bowles will make this a strong event for the team.

IM In the 200 IM, Andrew Cole and Michel DeCarolis will be expected to lead the team. Nick Philpot will compete in the 400 IM along with Seamus Alger and Will Leonhart.

Diving In the diving discipline, Utah returns Andrew Jones and Damien Brown. Both Jones and Brown were conference finalists and will be accompanied by freshman Hollis Leja

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Players Mentioned

Andrew Brown

Damien Brown

Andrew Cole

Andrew Jones

Will Leonhart

David Maasberg

Nick Philpot

Completed Event: General versus Arizona on January 18, 2002

Completed Event: General versus Utah St on November 30, 2001 , Win , 3, to, 1

Completed Event: General versus San Diego St on November 17, 2001 , Win , 166, to, 120

Completed Event: General versus UNLV on November 10, 2001 , Loss , 114, to, 117

Completed Event: General versus UNLV on November 10, 2001 , Loss , 89, to, 189.5

Completed Event: General at Oregon St on October 26, 2001 , Loss , 89, to, 116

Completed Event: General versus Utah St on October 23, 2001 , Win , 3, to, 1

Completed Event: General versus UNLV on November 10, 2000

Completed Event: General versus UNLV on November 10, 2000 , Loss , 82, to, 120