Swimming and Diving Team Honors Hall of Famers
10/6/2007 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama Swimming and Diving program instituted its hall of fame in the mid-1970s under legendary coach Don Gambril, and criteria for entry to the hall is high indeed.
That being the case, those in the hall are not only among the best to ever compete for the Crimson Tide in any sport, they also stand among the best to ever compete in the sport of swimming.
When Eric McIlquham became head coach of the Tide he discovered that there had never been a formal induction of anyone in the hall, a fact he wanted to remedy.
“When I found that the hall of fame had never formally inducted, I knew that was something that had to change,” McIlquham said. “While we’re all about building this team and moving forward into the future, our history, which is among the best in collegiate history, is something we are very proud of and are to committed to honoring.”
With that in mind, during this weekend’s Alumni Weekend, which coincided with the University’s Homecoming celebration, the swimming and diving team took the opportunity to formally induct eight members of the hall of fame at a dinner Friday night. Those eight were then recognized on the field during the Alabama-Houston football game on Saturday.
Those eight include five Olympians and five NCAA Champions. Those eight are:
Rafael Alvarez was a four-time Olympian and the 1995 SEC Diver of the Year. Lane Bassham was the 2004 NCAA Three-meter Diving Champion, NCAA Diver of the Meet and SEC Diver of the Year. Arne Borgstrom was the 1982 NCAA Champion in the Mile and SEC Swimmer of the Year and a 1980 Olympian.
Stefan Gherghel, a current assistant coach for the Crimson Tide, was a two-time NCAA 200 Butterfly Champion and a two-time Olympian. Northport native Travis Meyers was the Tide’s Swimmer of the ??90s and a 13-time All-American. Brent Roberts was the 1997 and 1998 SEC Diver of the Year as well as the 1998 NCAA 10-Meter Diving Champion.
Arlene Semeco and Vlad Polyakov are the most recent additions to the hall, with both being added this year. Semeco was an Olympian and a two-time Pan American Games Silver Medalist. Polyakov was the 2005 and 2007 NCAA 200 Breaststroke Champion, a two-time Olympic finalist and a three-time Academic All-American.
Alabama opens its season Saturday in a quad meet in Atlanta, Ga. against Georgia Tech, Florida State and Clemson.
