Senior captains Pat Cary and Jennifer Schwalb, along with freshman Anne Marie May, represented UCSB with outstanding performances at the 2007 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships. The championships, which commenced March 9 and ended March 17, showcased the fastest swimmers in the country.

“This was the fastest men’s and women’s NCAA Championships that I have ever been to, so I was proud of our kids and how they competed,” Head Coach Gregg Wilson said. “They represented UCSB very well, and it was a pleasure watching them perform.”

Schwalb and May were the first to compete and they wasted no time taking action. The veteran Schwalb placed 48th out of 69 swimmers in the 200 IM with an impressive 2:02:42. May placed 21st out of 72 in the 50 free with a time of 22.70, the second best time among freshmen competition.

On the second day of competition, Schwalb placed 45th out of 51 in the 100 butterfly with a time of 55.74. For the finale, May finished 61 out of 75 in the 100 free, clocking in at 50:83. Schwalb ended her collegiate swim career by placing 43rd in the 200 butterfly with a time of 2:03:94. Schwalb has been the Gauchos’ top women’s swimmer for the past four seasons and made it to the NCAA championships three times.

“Schwalb and May were Academic All-American Swimmers, so that was fantastic. We had a rookie and a veteran who were absolutely terrific. [Schwalb] did not have the meet she wanted, yet she gave a great effort and I’m very proud of her,” Wilson said. “For Anne, this was a huge step forward. Although she didn’t score, she placed high and gained experience, which is always a good thing.”

Cary carried the torch for the Gauchos as he competed in the men’s championships the following week in the 100 and 200 fly. Along with an outstanding performance, Cary also broke his personal school records in these events. Cary started on the right track as he broke his own school record, which he set last season in the 100 fly. His time of 47:23 broke his previous time of 47:50. In addition, his time in the preliminaries placed him as a second alternate for the finals, and Cary finished 18th overall in his first day. On the final day of competition, Cary finished eighth in the 200 fly with a time of 1:44:55. His preliminary time was 1:44:15, which also broke his school record that he set last season.

“[Cary] was frustrated because he didn’t score in the 100 fly, but he went a tenth faster than before. In the 200, he qualified sixth and swam very well. He had the lead for the first 100, but he ended up eighth, which is still incredible since he was two tenths of a second from being three places down,” Wilson said. “It was by far the fastest men’s meet and Pat represented us very well.”