The Stanford men’s swim and dive team begins its season this Saturday with a Pac-10 match against Washington. The Cardinal is currently ranked No. 3 in the preseason College Swimming Coaches Association (CSCAA) rankings, behind perennial powerhouse, No. 1 Texas, and last year’s NCAA champion, No. 2 Auburn.

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Junior breaststroke specialist Paul Zaich and the Stanford men, ranked third in the preseason coaches’ poll, will kick off the 2007 conference season at home this weekend, hosting Washington in a Pac-10 dual meet on Saturday.

Stanford has won an amazing 25 Pac-10 titles in a row. The team will look to extend that winning streak by focusing on creating a strong sense of team community.

Head swimming coach Skip Kenney, who has been at the helm of Stanford for 25 consecutive years, is known for developing strong team chemistry, despite the fact that swimming is largely an individual sport. Certainly, team spirit will be crucial if the men are to extend their Pac-10 streak while contending for the national title.

“Inspiring breakout swims, successful battles in a close race and team unity are the largest factors when it gets down to performance time,” said senior breaststroke specialist Egan Gans.

Gans, a US Senior Nationals qualifier, is among the many experienced seniors that will have to step up big to fill the void left behind by last year’s senior standouts. This year, seniors Daniel Beal, Noa Sakamoto and Phillip Morrison in the freestyle and butterfly, in addition to diver Nathan Kim and breaststrokers Karl Boehringer and Gans, will be called upon to provide the leadership for their team.

Sakamoto, who is also an open water specialist, recently earned a spot on the US Open Water national team after finishing fifth at World Championship Trials in October.

Aside from the seniors, a large part of the team’s success this year will depend on the freshman class, touted as the best in the nation. Butterfly and freestyler Austin Staab, who was the National High School Swimmer of the Year, tied the 100-fly high school record with a 47.10 effort and posted the fastest 100-free time in the nation as a senior. He already swam on the Stanford “A” Relay team against LSU in a preseason friendly and will certainly contend for points in the NCAA Championships season.

John Criste enters as the fastest 200 Individual Medley swimmer in the nation, posting an incredible 2:14.44 long-course meters time at the Japan International Swim Meet over the summer.

Staab and Criste will be joined on the starting blocks by fellow freshmen Josh Charnin-Aker, Scotty Korotkin, David Mosko, Jake Allen and diver Brent Eichenseer, all of whom boast Olympic Trial qualifying times.

“We have a great group this year, and success will be when we capitalize on our talent,” Gans said.

Auburn has won the last five NCAA titles, due mainly to its sprinting talent in the 50 and 100 events and its strong relay teams. Stanford, however, has some strong competition to offer, as the team’s camaraderie should help produce good relay times.

“We have the talent to win NCAAs every year,” Gans said. “What determines whether or not that actually happens is how we perform at the big show.”

Stanford starts its season this Saturday against Washington at 9 a.m. at the Avery Aquatic Center.