Wildcats' new Hall of Fame class is swimmer-heavy

The UA has chosen to depart from its traditional Sports Hall of Fame selection protocol this year and induct an all-swimming class. The group includes individual swimmers Lara Jackson, Lacey Nymeyer John, Albert Subirats and Darian Townsend. On Aug. 31 at the Westin LaPaloma, it will also induct nine NCAA championship relay teams of 2006-10, when the Wildcats were one of the three or four top swimming programs in the NCAA. The prowess of Frank Busch’s swimming program can be told in these numbers: since 2000, 66 of the 163 inductees into the UA Sports Hall of Fame are from the aquatics program. That’s 41 percent. Ironically, Arizona has been working without a head swimming coach now for 34 days. The most noticeable part of Busch’s departure at Arizona five years ago is that only one active UA swimmer, Katrina Konopka, is among the contenders at this week’s USA National championships. In past years, the Wildcats would have 10 to 20 contenders. 

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