They were perennial title contenders swimming in a high-powered national meet during an Olympic year. All the ingredients for success were there -- but the other teams seized the moment, beating the usually dominant Cardinal at the national championships in March. The Stanford women's team, which had won six of the last nine NCAA titles, and the men, who won them four times during the 1990s, finished third and fourth, respectively.
For the women, the letdown began in March when their 13-year streak of Pac-10 titles snapped with a loss to Arizona. Stanford did take home individual or relay titles in nine of the 21 events at the conference championships; but with only 13 swimmers on its roster, the Cardinal was hurt by a lack of depth.
Then, at the NCAAs in Indianapolis, the women failed to win any events,although two swimmers picked up second-place finishes. Sophomore Shelly Ripple finished second in the 200-meter backstroke (2:08.01) behind Arizona's Beth Botsford, who broke her own American and U.S. Open records. Junior Misty Hyman was the runner-up in the 200-meter butterfly (2:06.55). The team ended the meet behind Georgia and Arizona.
Stanford's men entered the nationals on a higher note. They extended their run of Pac-10 titles to 19, continuing the longest winning streak in conference history.
Once the team hit the championships in Minneapolis, though, they were outpaced by top-ranked Texas, defending champion Auburn and Arizona. One highlight: junior Adam Messner won the 200-meter butterfly (1:55.79). Expect both Cardinal teams to regroup and be in the swim again next year.
