OSU Swimmers Ready For Pac-10 Championships

Anna Crandall and the OSU swim team prepare for the Pac-10 Championships. Photo: OSU Athletics

CORVALLIS - The Oregon State swim team -- having finished at the .500 mark for the first time in two seasons -- will try to build on its season long success heading into the postseason at the Pac-10 Championships in Long Beach, California starting Wednesday.

The Beavers (8-8, 1-6 Pac-10) have never finished higher than seventh at the Pac-10 Championships.

Due to a lack of a diving team, the Beavers automatically lose points for diving and are thus essentially put in a three-way competition for seventh place with Washington and Washington State.

“We will have a tough battle with UW and Washington State to see who will be the Northwest Champion,” OSU head coach Larry Liebowitz said.

There was one instance in 1994 where a team without a diving team finished higher than seventh.

Washington was able to move ahead of Arizona and finished sixth at the Pac-10 Championships.

The Beavers have placed seventh the last three years; all under Liebowitz.

The championships serve as the final meet for swimmers to qualify for the NCAA Championships held in Minneapolis, Minnesota from March 8th-10th.

The Pac-10’s also pin the Beavers against some of the top swimmers in the country.

“The goal for the meet is for us to swim the best times, qualify as many people for the NCAA’s as possible, and finish with as many people possible with a smile on their face,” Liebowitz said.

This week’s profile features freshman standout Anna Crandall.

Crandall, from Skyline, Utah, finished her first season with five dual meet wins.

Crandall was OSU’s top 200 Yard Freestyle swimmer and has high aspirations for this week’s Pac-10 Championships.

Crandall has also posted NCAA “B’ cut times in the 200 IM (2:02.98) and 200 Free (1:50.01).

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