The Wabash swimming and diving team will be in Canton, Ohio this weekend for the annual North Coast Athletic Swimming and Diving Championships. The strange part for me is that for the first time in four years I won't be going with them. And that may be a good thing.

I've served as a meet observer for two years before taking the duties of meet director at last year's championship event at the Branin Center. That's left me little time to actually pause and watch the efforts of the Little Giants in the water or on the diving boards.

This year I'll be able to track  the results (and view images from Howard Hewitt's camera when he heads back to Canton Friday afternoon). While I still won't be able to watch the meet, I can enjoy the efforts of the Wabash team all the more by watching the results pour in throughout the three-day meet on the championship web site.

This should be a great year for Wabash at the championships. Last year's team flirted with the 1,000-point mark while finishing third behind powerhouses Kenyon and Denison. The Little Giants would have topped 1,000 points for the first time since joining the NCAC in 1999 if not for a false start in a relay on Thursday morning (mere minutes after I had gone through false start procedures with our administration staff... somehow I still feel responsible).

Breaking that 1,000-point barrier won't be easy. Just ask first-year head coach John Weitz.

"It's looks as if we'll be in a dog fight with Wooster for third, based on the psych sheet," Weitz said just before the final practice Tuesday night. "We'll be looking at several underclassmen who are going to have to perform well to give us a chance at 1,000 points.

"Our divers will also have to come through for us. They've been one of our strengths all season."

All-American Adam Petro is a favorite to take home all-conference honors in the 200 backstroke and 200 butterfly. His 200 fly time of 1:53.45 and 200 back time of 1:53.66 are both the best among all NCAC swimmers this season and have already hit the NCAA "B" cut qualifying times. Evan Rhinesmith has been strong of late, and is third on the psych sheet in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 59.60. Zach Phillips will be chasing four Denison swimmers in the 100 backstroke to try and crack the top-three spots for All-NCAC honors. Jordan Blackwell could also make up some ground in the 100 free. He's seeded fifth on the psych sheet at 47.51.

Sometimes at a big meet the difference can be a swimmer surprising everyone with a superb effort. Weitz doesn't expect that to happen, because he knows everyone on the roster is capable of stepping up against some of the best teams in Division III.

"We're only allowed a limited number of swimmers entered as scorers in this meet," Weitz said. "I had a very difficult decision to make because we had six or seven guys competing for the final two spots. I really believe any of those guys can score points for us in their events, so I don't expect a surprise from anyone.

"We're a very balanced team. With the conference as strong as it is we won't have a lot of guys at the top end, but I expect to see a slew of guys in the 9-16 range in terms of finishing place."

The Little Giants will compete against the best teams in Division III in a fast pool with fast swimmers in every lane. Look for some great results from the Little Giants, and keep watching that scoreboard. We can all celebrate when the team moves past 999 on Saturday.

Photos - (top right) Paul Wilson practices Wednesday for the NCAC Championships this Thursday through Saturday in Canton, Ohio. Photos by Howard W. Hewitt

(Middle left) Head Coach John Weitz talks to the team before Wednesday's practice.

(Bottom right) Rob Fenoglio and the rest of the Wabash divers will be key to the Little Giants' success at this year's meet.