Kansas Comes up Short in the Pool Versus Arizona

Oct. 8, 2011

Results

TUCSON, Ariz. — The Kansas swimming and diving team dropped their first dual meet of the season to the University of Arizona, Saturday at the Hillenbrand Aquatic Center in Tucson. Led by senior captain Stephanie Payne the Jayhawks put up 80-points against the Wildcats as Payne finished first in the 200 IM with a 2:08.23 time.

“We knew Arizona was going to be a very tough team to compete against and they were exactly who we thought they were going to be,” said head coach Clark Campbell. “We were definitely challenged at the highest level.”

Some of those Jayhawks rising to that challenge on Saturday included juniors Brooke Brull and Vanessa Hanbury who were the fastest KU swimmers in two events, as well as freshman Deanna Marks, who made an impression on her coach in what was her first collegiate dual meet.

“Stephanie Payne, Brooke Brull and Deanna Marks continue to lead the way,” Campbell said. “We also had some good performances out of Kara Stranski and Kath Liggett, but those three amigos (Payne, Brull and Marks), who have been doing it all season so far, continue to put up strong performances.”

Campbell is referring to the impressive showing the trio put up in the team’s intrasquad meet last week in Lawrence, where the Blue squad out swam their Crimson counterparts 144-123.

Despite the 170-80 loss in the Desert on Saturday, Campbell thinks his team is right where they need to be heading into another tough road test against Minnesota in two weeks.

“We just need to swim more because for the first six weeks we have been concentrating a lot on training on land and in the weight room,” Campbell said. “We have to slowly but surely tip the balances to where we are doing more work in the pool.”

Kansas, now 0-1 on the year will come back to Lawrence and prepare for the Golden Gophers, who they will take on Friday, Oct. 21, in Minneapolis.