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Tankers hope to ride home-pool advantage to title

Home sweet home.

Ironically, the Michigan women's swimming and diving team might not even recognize the friendly confines of Canham Natatorium when they enter the arena for the NCAA championships today.

A newly painted maize and blue Canham, filled with balloons and plants, will replace the venue's traditional neutral appearance. Crystal clear water, a paint touch-up of the edges of the pool and an island designed especially for the awards ceremony are among the new features that the team will encounter.

"To me, it's very special to have the national championships in our own pool," Michigan coach Jim Richardson said. "It's kind of a reward for the hard work put into the program. People have confidence in us running the tournament."

Yet, the Wolverines would just as soon pretend they are traveling somewhere else for this meet to get away from the daily pressures of student life at Michigan. In fact, the swimmers are staying at a hotel to escape from all of the commotion.

"It's especially good for us," senior Megan Gillam said. "It's just like getting dressed up to go out. It becomes a little more exciting."

At the same time, the team relishes the opportunity to swim in its own pool with a large crowd of supporters.

"We are really excited because we are going to have a big group of people, which includes friends, family and the men's team," junior Melissa Stone said.

In Richardson's 11 years, the team finished in the top 10 nine times. The Wolverines solidified their status as a national powerhouse after finishing second at the NCAA meet year. This year, 17 swimmers and one diver have qualified for the championships.

"Last year, we had such a tremendous taste of success," Gillam said. "This year, we are expecting to do as well. We still have a really strong nucleus with a lot of the same goals."

Michigan remains a strong contender for the national championship among a host of others, including Stanford, Arizona, Georgia, Texas and Southern Cal.

Richardson pointed out that Stanford is one of the most improved teams with the addition of a freshman class that filled all of its needs. In addition, he said the Wildcats are a team that might surprise some people. Richardson also expects Georgia, who did not shave for the Southeastern conference tournament, to peak this weekend.

Michigan must do well in the relays because the relays count for double the points of individual events, Richardson said. In addition, he talked about the importance of having good swims from as many people as possible. Finally, Richardson hopes that injured Wolverines, like senior captain Beth Jackson and junior Rachel Gustin, will be ready for the meet.

"We started swimming really well at the Big Tens," junior Anne Kampfe said. "No one person has to step up, but we really need our relays to swim well."

The Wolverines hope that this season's adversity will give them an extra edge in their quest for an NCAA title.

"Last year was a magical year," Kampfe said. "This year, we have really had to work for it.

"Our team's starting to swim really well. (Not) many women's teams have won national titles so that (is) something to shoot for."

Richardson hopes that the home-pool advantage will make the championships memorable.

"Friends from other teams will be coming in, and it will be like having guests at your house," Richardson said. "You want to treat them well. Hopefully, it will bring out the best in us."