The Mesa men’s swimming and diving team jumped out of the gate focused and determined for success in 2009.

The Olympians displayed heart and drive in their first meet of the season finishing in third place.

“We swam great at our first invitational at Mt. San Antonio,” replied Coach Nathan Resch. “The key as always with my teams is getting up and ready to swim fast, which often is a team effort to push through and support one another.”

Sophomore Josh Denz, along with Freshmen Marco Osorio and Chris Quiroz have had stellar performance this season displaying much of their talent.

Osorio is the top event scorer in meets this year for the Olympians. He is undefeated in conference 200 IM and Backstroke events, and leads off the undefeated conference 400 Medley relay. Osorio was the athlete of the week for the Pacific Coast Conference on March 21.

Quiroz is having a great season and is one of the top butter fliers this season for the Olympians. He serves as a captain and is another member of the 400 Medley relay squad.

Denz has performed well in breaststroke events and also serves as a team captain.

Standout diver Quan Brown has been phenomenal as well this season for the men’s dive team. Brown cruised through the regular season undefeated in all conference events.

Brown will represent the Mesa men’s dive team in Long Beach for the state championships following his performances at the Southern California diving championships where he finished first place on the 1-meter and 3-meter board.

“The Southern California Championships were easier for me because they were indoor. It’s easier to focus when you can look at the ceiling with lights as opposed to the blue sky, which resembles the pool. It makes it easier to focus on the dive,” replied Brown.

Brown also won the conference title on both boards and will hold the top seed from Southern California in the state championships.

In preparation for the state championships Brown will work out with some top divers from the area.

“I’ll be attending a four-day dive camp with top divers in order to polish my skills before the championships,” said Brown. “I set my expectations high for myself and I expect to present my dives at the highest level possible at state.”

“Hard work has paid off and is starting to show. We practice very well and because of our diving coach I have endured much success,” he added.

The coach that Brown refers to is first year diving coach Kristie Bowdler. Bowdler has received much in her first season from her divers and staff.

“Coach Kristie is the best coach I’ve had to date, she’s helped me with my dive technique and made my corrections a lot easier to change,” replied Brown.

“Kristie has done a great job coaching diving and will continue to be a force in the PCC and state for years to come,” added Resch.

Bowdler will be represented by Brown and women divers Megan Looney and Elise Aquilar in the state championships.

The men’s swimming and diving team concluded the regular season in second place in the PCC conference standings.

“We successfully climbed a place in our dual meet. We finished the season with our [conference] record at 2-1 ending up second ahead of Palomar and Southwestern,” said Resch.

With the regular season over, Resch now has his team preparing for the post-season events.

“We are tapering and getting focused on swimming fast. The response even during spring break has been great during workouts,” replied Resch. “I think most of the team is ready to swim fast and get some relays and individuals to the state championships.

This season has showcased standout performances and has been highlighted by great results for Resch and his team. However, expectations are high and Resch, and his team are striving for more in the championships.

“We need to see our results at the PCC and State championships to get a good idea on successes for the entire season,” responded Resch. “We have raced well this year and that is what I am looking forward to seeing at the PCC championship meet.”

The conference championships begin on April 16 and will run through April 18. Palomar College will play host to this event. The following weekend the state championships will take place from April 23 to 25 at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach.