WAC Swimming & Diving Championships Start Wednesday

It figures to be a battle for the Western Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championships in San Antonio next week.

Boise State is the defending champion, but San Jose State has enjoyed a fantastic season and Hawai'i will be a factor as well. In fact, the Spartans are the highest-ranked WAC team in the final NCAA Division I swimming poll (#42). The Broncos came in at #57 in that poll, not because of lack of star power but a question of depth.

Amber Boucher was sensational last year in leading Boise State to its first-ever WAC crown and she no doubt will once again garner her share of medals. Boise State appears often in the top three conference times for each event. However, points that usually decide championships are picked up from #4-#8. You want finishes early and often. Space won't allow a top eight in each event, but that is where San Jose State will make its run. Boise State has Boucher, Stephanie North and others but they don't have the numbers. Plus, the times you see for Boise State were swam in December and the Broncos haven't put up those kind of numbers in quite a while.

Boise State is hoping that altitude makes a difference. Specifically, San Jose State doesn't have any. The good thing about these championships is that you throw all the swimmers in the same pool and decide it. And since the championships are in San Antonio, altitude won't be a factor. We might find that the Broncos in fact swim their best times of the year. We'll see.

Here are the top three times in each event:

50-meter freestyle:
1. Amber Boucher, Boise State (22.80) #43 in the nation
2. Maura Barrett, Hawai'i (23.13)
3. Danielle Yoho, Fresno State (23.30)

100-m free:
1. Amber Boucher, Boise State (49.59) #43 in the nation
2. Stephanie North, Boise State (49.79)
3. Maura Barrett, Hawai'i (50.08)

200-m free:
1. Amber Boucher, Boise State (1:47.88)
2. Maura Barrett, Hawai'i (1:49.08)
3. Stephanie North, Boise State (1:49.51)

500-m free:
1. Mi Mengjiao, Nevada (4:54.01)
2. Julia Koch, Boise State (4:54.54)
3. Jennifer Cahill, Boise State (4:55.61)

100-m backstroke:
1. Heather Denman, San Jose State (54.94)
2. Shana Lim, Idaho (55.36)
3. Rudie Guerrero, San Jose State (56.06)

200-m back:
1. Kelsy Diener, Boise State (2:01.44)
2. Denise Green, Boise State (2:02.33)
3. Morgan McLain, Boise State (2:02.63)

100-m breaststroke:
1. Darcie Anderson, San Jose State (1:02.52)
2. Taylor Ritenberg, Hawai'i (1:03.66)
3. Alannah Lawrence, New Mexico State (1:03.75)

200-m breast:
1. Darcie Anderson, San Jose State (2:16.06)
2. Chelseas Miller, Boise State (2:16.24)
3. Taylor Ritenberg, Hawai'i (2:16.25)

100-m butterfly:
1 Amber Boucher, Boise State (53.44) #22 in the nation
2. Heather Denman, San Jose State (54.73)
3. Stevie Hughey, Boise State (56.12)

200-m fly:
1. Rachel Heaney, Boise State (2:01.13)
2. Christine Raininger, Boise State (2:01.41)
3. Heather Denman, San Jose State (2:02.76)

200-m individual medley:
1. Taylor Ritenberg, Hawai'i (2:03.63)
2. Heather Denman, San Jose State (2:04.60)
3. Morgan McLain, Boise State (2:04.79)

400-m IM:
1. Christine Raininger, Boise State (4:22.44)
2. Julia Craddock, San Jose State (4:25.08)
3. Brittany Buna, Fresno State (4:26.34)

200-m freestyle relay:
1. Boise State (1:33.24)
2. San Jose State (1:33.35)
3. Hawai'i (1:34.92)

400-m free relay:
1. Boise State (3:21.45), #24 in the nation
2. Hawai'i (3:24.38)
3. San Jose State (3:26.43)

800-m free relay:
1. Boise State (7:26.32)
2. San Jose State (7:28.37)
3. Hawai'i (7:29.39)

200-m medley relay:
1. San Jose State (1:43.20)
2. Boise State (1:43.39)
3. New Mexico State (1:45.24)

400-m meley relay:
1. San Jose State (3:43.00), #32 in the nation
2. Boise State (3:46.35)
3. Hawai'i (3:49.47)