UA News

Abdi Abdirahman, UA Alumnus

Abdirahman is the reigning United States champion in the 10,000 meters and has won the event two other times in his career (2001, 2005). He has participated in two previous Olympics: 2000 where he finished in 10^th place in the 10,000 meters, and 2004 where he finished 15^th. A member of the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame, Abdirahman was the 1998 Pac-10 Cross Country Athlete of the Year in a season where he finished second at the NCAA Championships. He was a seven-time All-American.

Jean Basson, UA Student (Graduating in 2010)

Another in the long line of South African swimmers to excel at the UA, Basson helped the Wildcats win a national championship in 2008. A seven-time All-American in only two seasons, Basson has been a part of UA’s 800-meter freestyle relay team that has won the NCAA championship in each of the last two seasons, including a meet-record time of 6:12.85 in 2008. He finished fourth in the 200-meter freestyle at the 2008 NCAA Championships.

Amanda Beard, UA Alumna

The most decorated UA Olympian in any sport with seven medals (two gold). Beard has been in the public eye since her Olympic debut in 1996 at the age of 14, where she became the second-youngest gold medalist in U.S. swimming history. Now having crossed over as a mainstream celebrity, Beard has five U.S. national championships to her credit and during her career set two world and six American records. The Beijing Games will be Beard’s fourth Olympics.

Simon Burnett, 2007 UA Graduate

The 2006 Pac-10 Conference Men’s Swimmer of the Year, Burnett totaled 22 All-America honors during his collegiate career that included six individual or relay national championships. Burnett participated in the 2004 Olympics, where he finished seventh in the 200-meter freestyle – an event that in 2006 he set a U.S. Open record. Three of Burnett’s six NCAA championships (2003, 2005, 2006) came in the 200-meter freestyle.

Frank Busch, UA Swimming Head Coach

The head coach of the 2008 NCAA men’s and women’s national championship teams has as much of a stamp on these games as anyone. No fewer than 13 of his current or former swimmers will take part in these Games. Four years ago, UA swimmers earned a total of eight medals, which equaled the fourth highest total of any nation competing. A multiple NCAA Coach-of-the-Year honoree, Busch has previously served as an Olympic assistant in 2004.

Jill Camarena, trained by UA Throws Coach Craig Carter

Camarena has shown steady improvement over the last five years to the point to where she was the 2006 USA outdoor champion in the shot put and a three-time indoor USA champion (2005, 2006, 2007). In winning the 2006 outdoor championship, Camarena unleashed a throw of 63 feet, 2.25 inches, which was the third-best mark in U.S. history. She was a seven-time All-American while at Stanford and finished third at the 2004 U.S. Olympic trails.

Mike Candrea, UA Softball Head Coach

Few coaches worldwide have ever influenced their sport as much as Candrea has with softball, as eight NCAA titles and the 2004 gold medal can attest. This year’s Olympic softball tournament promises to be a pressure-filled one as the Americans seek their fourth consecutive gold medal. Under Candrea’s guidance, the 2004 club breezed through the Olympiad, outscoring foes 51-1 in posting a 9-0 record, and he called the team, “A special group.”

OLYMPIC UPDATE: U.S. softball team won the silver medal.

Rick DeMont, UA Associate Swimming Head Coach

A world record holder and an Olympian as a competitive swimmer in the 1970s, DeMont was the first man in history to break the four-minute barrier in the 400 freestyle. Since switching to coaching, DeMont has long been considered one of the world’s finest sprint freestyle coaches, as more than 20 of his pupils have won U.S. Swimming and NCAA Championships. He also served as an assistant for the South African swim team at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

Jason Donald, UA Alumnus

A member of Arizona’s 2004 College World Series team, Donald made an immediate impact for the Wildcats, setting a UA freshman record with 84 hits in that 2004 campaign. He finished his career with a .315 career batting average and 127 RBI and shares the school record with a 26-game hitting streak. His successes have continued in professional baseball, as he was a third-round pick of the Philadelphia Phillies in 2006. Donald played in the 2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Futures Game at Yankee Stadium.

OLYMPIC UPDATE: The U.S. baseball team won the bronze medal.

Claire Febvay, 2004 and 2006 UA Graduate

A two-time Olympian already, Febvay has represented her native France in both 2000 and 2004 in platform diving. She is currently ranked No. 14 in the world, according to the sport’s governing body. Febvay finished seventh on the platform representing France at the 2003 World Championships, which was the highest finish ever for a French diver in that event, and she has won multiple French national championships. She earned All-America honors for the Wildcats on the 10-meter platform in both 2003 and 2005.

Lyndon Ferns, 2007 UA Graduate

A four-time NCAA individual or relay champion, Ferns also amassed 24 All-America accolades as a collegian. A well-rounded swimmer, Ferns’ NCAA titles came in the butterfly, medley relay and freestyle relay. An Olympian in 2004, he was a part of the iconic South African 400-meter freestyle relay team (made up of four Wildcat swimmers) that won the gold medal and set a world record in the process with a time of 3:13.17.

Jennie Finch, UA Alumna

A member of the U.S. national team since her days in the circle in Tucson, Finch looks for her second gold medal to go with her two World Championships. A key part of the pitching staff once again in 2008, Finch tallied 13 strikeouts in two appearances covering eight innings in Athens. Long the public face of the sport, motherhood hasn’t slowed Finch either (son, Ace, was born in 2006), as she twirled a perfect game vs. Louisiana-Lafayette on April 18 during the team’s “Bound 4 Beijing” tour.

OLYMPIC UPDATE: U.S. softball team won the silver medal.

Kim Glass, UA Alumna

Three-time All-American and four-time all-Pac-10 performer Kim Glass has continued on an upward arc since her career as a Wildcat ended in 2005. The 6-foot-3 outside hitter represented the U.S. in the 2007 FIVB World Grand Prix, posting a hitting percentage of .346 and helped the American side to a bronze medal at the 2007 FIVB World Cup, averaging 2.45 points and 1.79 kills per set. Glass has played professionally in Puerto Rico.

OLYMPIC UPDATE: The U.S. women's volleyball team won the silver medal.

Joel Greenshields, UA Student (Graduating in 2010)

A standout swimmer from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Greenshields proved to be an integral part of Arizona’s 2008 NCAA championship team. Putting the team goals first, the sophomore was a part of all three of UA’s victorious relay teams at the national championship meet – 400-yard medley, 400-yard freestyle and 800-yard freestyle. He will be making his first Olympic appearance.

Matt Grevers, trained by UA Swimming Coach Frank Busch

A two-time NCAA champion at Northwestern, Grevers is in Tucson training with UA coach Frank Busch. Grevers, who hails from suburban Chicago, was recruited by Busch and Arizona before swimming for the Wildcats that wear purple and white. Grevers won the NCAA title in the 100-yard backstroke in 2005 and 2006.

OLYMPIC UPDATE: Won a silver medal in the 100-meter backstroke. Earned a gold medal as part of the U.S. men's 4 x 100-meter freestyle relay team.

Alicia Hollowell, 2007 UA Graduate

Arizona’s seventh softball national championship in 2007 was won largely on the right shoulder of Hollowell. The native of Suisun, Calif., has been a part of the national team since her days at the UA, and helped the club win the World Championship in 2006. She is an alternate on the 2008 Olympic roster.

OLYMPIC UPDATE: U.S. softball team won the silver medal.

Dominic Johnson, 1998 UA Graduate

With Olympic appearances already under his belt in 1996 and 2000, Johnson met the qualifying standard with just days to spare this season. A standout pole vaulter for the Wildcats in the late 1990s, Johnson finished his collegiate career as the UA record holder in both the indoor and outdoor pole vaults, marks he still holds today.

Lovieanne Jung, UA Alumna

A shortstop during her days in Tucson, Jung has been at second base for the national team since 2002. A two-time World Champion and Pan American Games gold medalist, she looks to earn her second gold medal in softball in Beijing. A two-time All-American for the Wildcats, Jung batted .300 in the 2004 Olympic tournament and led Team USA with five walks. According to the USA Softball Web site, Jung wants to become a firefighter once her softball career is over.

OLYMPIC UPDATE: U.S. softball team won the silver medal.

Bernard Lagat, trained by UA Assistant Track & Field Coach James Li

One of the top middle distance runners in the world, Lagat is the first man in track history to win both the 1,500- and 5,000-meter runs at the World Championships – a feat he accomplished in 2007. A naturalized U.S. citizen, he is the first American to win a gold medal in the 1,500 meters at the Olympics or World Championships since 1908, and is the first American to medal in the 5,000 meters at the World Championships. He earned a silver medal in the 1,500 at the 2004 Olympics and a bronze at the 2000 Olympics while competing for his native Kenya.

James Li, UA Assistant Track & Field Coach

Long known as a distance coaching specialist, Li was named the Nike/USA Track & Field Coach of the Year in 2007 after guiding Bernard Lagat to his unprecedented double victory at the World Championships. Born and raised in China (he became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1998), Li was selected as men’s head manager for USA Track & Field at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he will be largely responsible for the advance planning and logistics for the USA men. In addition to coaching Lagat, Li also works with Abdirahman.

Caitlin Lowe, UA Alumna

Success just seems to follow Caitlin Lowe. She capped her collegiate career with back-to-back national championships at Arizona (2006 and 2007) and became just the second player in Arizona history to earn four consecutive first-team All-America honors. Team USA’s leadoff hitter in each of the past three seasons, Lowe has batted .313 or better in every major international softball competition since 2004.

OLYMPIC UPDATE: U.S. softball team won the silver medal.

Ryk Neethling, 2001 UA Graduate

Where do you begin when trying to summarize the career of one of the most distinguished swimmers in Arizona history? Neethling is a three-time Olympian, a world record holder, a national champion and an All-American. He won a gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle relay in the 2004 Olympics, Neethling has set four world records in the last four years to go with nine NCAA championships and 17 All-America accolades.

Nicolas Nilo, UA Student (Graduating in 2009)

An outstanding swimmer who helped Arizona to its first national championship in 2008, Nilo was a part of two winning relay teams at the meet – the 400-yard freestyle and the NCAA-record-setting 800-yard freestyle. The junior, who will represent Brazil at the Beijing Games, more than proved his mettle as a swimmer by earning seven All-America accolades in 2007 alone. He’s guided Arizona to three NCAA relay championships during his career.

Lacey Nymeyer, UA Student (Graduating in 2008)

No Arizona swimmer has ever won more individual or relay NCAA championships than Nymeyer’s 10, including five in 2008 as she led the Cats to the team title as well. An outstanding freestylist, she is ranked among the top six swimmers in the 50-, 100- and 200-meter freestyles according to USA Swimming. Her relay prowess has led to a pair of world and U.S. Open records. A 19-time All-American, Nymeyer comes from outstanding athletic stock, as her grandfather, Ed Nymeyer, was an all-conference basketball player for Arizona from 1955-58.

OLYMPIC UPDATE: Won a silver medal in the 4 x 100-meter freestyle relay.

Angelique Rodriguez, 1999 and 2002 UA Graduate

Rodriguez dove for her native Puerto Rico in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics as a platform diver. She finished 18th on the platform in both Sydney and Athens. A latecomer to the sport, Rodriguez started diving just five years before her initial Olympic berth after starting out as a gymnast and dancer. Her coach, the UA’s Michele Mitchell, earned silver medals in 1984 and 1988 in the same event.

Roland Schoeman, 2003 UA Graduate

Schoeman is arguably the most accomplished male swimmer in UA history with three Olympic medals and a total of seven world and two U.S. Open records posted since 1999. The South African won one NCAA title, the 50-yard freestyle in 2002, and finished second four times. He finished his career with school records in the 50- and 100-meter freestyles and collected 25-All-America honors. All three of his medals came at the 2004 Athens Games, including the gold-medal-winning 400-meter freestyle relay.

Albert Subirats, UA Student (Graduating in 2008)

This versatile Venezuelan holds UA records in freestyle, butterfly and backstroke. Subirats was an essential component to the Wildcats’ 2008 NCAA championship, as he won the 100-yard butterfly and was a part of Arizona’s 400-yard medley and 400-yard freestyle relays. All told, he capped his collegiate career with eight national championships and collected 17 All-America accolades.

Jake Tapp, UA Student (Graduating in 2010)

This Langley, British Columbia, native will represent Canada in the 2008 Olympics. In just two years in Tucson, Tapp has earned three All-America citations, including a best finish of fourth in the 100-yard backstroke at the 2008 NCAA championship meet. He was one of seven foreign-born swimmers on the UA’s 2008 national championship team, six of whom will participate in the Beijing Games.

Darian Townsend, UA Alumnus

The youngest member of the gold-medal-winning South African 400-meter freestyle relay team wrapped up his collegiate eligibility with the 2008 NCAA championship. Townsend won the 200-yard individual medley and was a part of all three of UA relay wins. He earned All-America honors 11 times while attending Arizona and the University of Florida. Townsend has one world and one U.S. Open record to his credit.

Juan Veloz, 2005 UA Graduate

The veteran Olympic swimmer will make his third appearance in Beijing this summer representing Mexico. Veloz holds the UA record on the 200-yard butterfly and is included on the school’s top performers list in the 200- and 400-yard individual medley. He was a five-time All-American while swimming for the Wildcats.

Todd Wells, 2000 UA Graduate