Editor’s note: The Star’s Zack Rosenblatt is counting down the 50 best athletes on the UA campus right now, with help from athletes, coaches and those close to the program.
No. 41: Annie Ochitwa
The details: Ochitwa is a junior swimmer for the Wildcats and is a standout in the individual freestyle, butterfly and backstroke events, and swims as part of one of the top medley relay teams in the nation alongside Katrina Konopka, Taylor Garcia and Kennedy Lohman, though the Wildcats will have to replace Garcia, who transferred to Michigan.
Ochitwa was recruited to Arizona by coach Rick Demont, or “Rocket” as the team calls him, who announced his retirement from coaching in May. Arizona has yet to name his replacement.
“I think all of us were just really surprised to hear that Rocket was retiring,” Ochitwa said. “He’s a very energetic and creative person, and I think his innovation is what I’ll take away most from getting the chance to swim for him.”
Ochitwa chose Arizona out of high school over Minnesota, Texas, Wisconsin, N.C. State and Auburn because everything about the UA felt “genuine” during her recruitment.
The numbers: Ochitwa was one of Arizona’s best performers as a freshman. In that 2015-16 season, five of her best finishes rank in the top 10 in UA history in their respective categories. Ochitwa fell off as a sophomore, though, and didn’t record any times that made the top 10 in UA record books. At this year’s NCAA Championships, Ochitwa finished in 31st place in the 100 freestyle (48.63), 20th in the 100 butterfly (52.18) and 38th in the 50 free. In the Pac-12 championships, she was fifth in the 100 free (48.94), 10th in the 100 backstroke (52.65), seventh in the 100 butterfly (52.10) and 11th in the 50 free (22.23).
The value: Arizona’s swimming program is in a state of flux with the retirement of DeMont and the impending new coaching hire. In order to start getting the program back to where it once was, among the nation’s elite, that will start with the returners. Ochitwa flashed what she was capable of as a freshman, and UA will need her back at that level as a junior.
“This season for me what definitely not what I had hoped for results-wise, but I learned a lot about myself and what swimming on this team means to me,” Ochitwa said. “It was hard for me to come off a great freshman year putting a lot of pressure on myself to try to top it, but I think I’ve come a long way mentally and I’m ready to start the next season.”
Why Ochitwa? Again, even if her sophomore campaign didn’t go as planned, Ochitwa was stellar as a freshman and was recruited to swim for Arizona for a reason — she has the talent.
Proof she’s good: Ochitwa is a school record-holder in the 100 butterfly and a national record-holder in that event for her age group. As a freshman, she broke Natalie Coughlin’s national 17-18-year-olds record in the event, recording a time of 51.02 at the NCAA championships, which broke Coughlin’s record of 51.18 set in 2001. At Arizona, she surpassed some of Arizona’s all-time greatest swimmers in that event, including Lara Jackson and Whitney Myers. She also is in the top 10 in four other events: sixth in 50 free, 10th in 100 free, eighth in 100 back and fifth in the 200 individual medley. She also holds the school’s 200 medley relay record alongside Garcia, Lohman and Konopka, and according to SwimSwam unofficially holds the NCAA’s second-best ever 50 butterfly relay split, completing it in 22.23 seconds.
What Ochitwa can accomplish: Ochitwa was a three-time All-American as a freshman, as well as a three-time honorable mention All-American. If Arizona is to get back to prominence, it will need Ochitwa to have an All-American-level junior campaign.
She said it: “This upcoming season, I’m personally focusing on just making small and consistent improvements. I don’t like to think too much about time goals or specific place goals, so what I’m working toward is always being better than I was the day before. As a team, I think we are all really working hard to make a big statement after last season.” — Ochitwa
