The UCSB men and women’s swim teams will look for both victory and retribution this Saturday at noon at Campus Pool against Pacific after a disappointing loss last weekend to University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Pacific – coming off of a three-week hiatus – will try to keep UCSB on its toes, but the Gauchos are ready to win since this will be their last home meet before the Big West Championships.

“The performance we had last week was not our best. If anything, it will inspire the kids to do better,” Head Coach Gregg Wilson said. “They were not happy that they got whooped by UNLV. They want to end the season on a high note.”

The Gauchos are back on their home territory, and the team will be celebrating Senior Week. At the meet, the Gauchos will honor their senior members for their contributions and the commitment to the team that they have shown throughout the years. Wilson said he is confident that this will add even more momentum and energy for the team to win.

“It was Senior Week for UNLV last week, and the team was inspired. Their seniors swam the fastest they have ever swum, and they used the energy to keep the team going,” Wilson said. “We are going to use the momentum and the younger kids want to send the seniors off with a win.”

One factor that is also going to inspire the team to swim faster is that Wilson will utilize this meet to determine who will represent the Gauchos at the Big West Championships. The team members will all travel as a group, but only 18 will compete for the title. The Gauchos are the defending champs, so they will have to send their very best.

“I have to make my choice, top 18 swimmers. This meet is even more important because this will be their last chance to show me what they got,” Wilson said. “The meet is also important because Pacific is a great rival and a very worthy opponent.”

The men lost to UNLV 130-91, but received great performances from senior captain Pat Cary, who won two individual events, freshman Scott Vogelgesang and sophomore Chris Good. Cary is confident that this week’s performance against Pacific will be much better and will result in a victory.

“This last week, it was kind of tough. With Pacific, they are coming to our pool and they are our biggest rival,” Cary said. “The seniors want to go out with a bang and give a lasting impression to the other teams. Everyone will also step up in order to make a good impression to Coach Wilson in order to make it to Big West.”

The women were close to beating UNLV, but lost by one point, leaving the final score at 121-120. The women also competed in a dual match against Colorado State, winning dominantly 174-67. Senior captain Jennifer Schwalb, who also won two individual events, sophomore Liz Wagner and junior Jessica Cruzat all performed well and helped their team gain points, yet it was not enough to grab the win in the end.

“We are going to do so well because everyone is pumped and ready to win,” Schwalb said. “We are back home and it’s the last meet before Big West, so everyone is ready to go out there and give it their best shot.”

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