Sarah Denninghoff, a junior this fall at Sabino High School, is a two-time state champion in the 50 and 100 freestyles but now has the Olympic Games in her sights.

A.E. ARAIZA / ARIZONA DAILY STAR 2006

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When the eight-day USA Olympic swimming trials begin this morning in downtown Omaha, Neb., 44 swimmers with Tucson connections will be in the field. No other swimming precinct in the country has more.

No wonder Arizona Wildcats coach Frank Busch arrived Thursday in Omaha to begin preparations.

Forty-two of the 44 Tucson-connected swimmers are current, former or future Busch pupils. The remaining two are Sabino High School freestyle sprinter Sarah Denninghoff and El Dorado Aquatics Club international sensation Caitlin Leverenz.

At the top of the list with the Tucson squad is the Texas Longhorns Aquatic Club, which also boasts 44 swimmers on its roster. The University of Michigan program and the Stanford Swimming Club both have 27 current or former swimmers in the field.

Wednesday morning, Busch watched as construction workers hoisted into place a series of new placards at the Hillenbrand Aquatic Center. One of the five large signs listed the 40 Olympians who swam for the UA.

"Holy cow, it's impressive,'' said Busch. "It gives you a perspective on how many talented swimmers have trained here.''

In addition to the 44 Tucson swimmers in Omaha, 12 current and former Arizona Wildcats already have qualified for the Beijing Olympics. They are: England's Simon Burnett; Canada's Joel Greenshields and Jake Tapp; Venezuela's Albert Subirats and Luis Rojas; Brazil's Nick Nilo; Mexico's Juan Veloz; and South Africans Ryk Neethling, Darian Townsend, Lyndon Ferns, Roland Schoeman and Jean Basson.

In addition to Leverenz, who swims in the 400 IM prelims and finals today, six of Busch's group in Omaha have reasonably good chances to make the USA Olympic team: Amanda Beard, Lacey Nymeyer, Adam Ritter, Matt Grevers, Lara Jackson and Whitney Myers.

Holy cow, indeed.

While coaching Division II Metro State of Denver to a pair of national championships, UA associate head basketball coach Mike Dunlap established a reputation as an advanced student of basketball coaching.

He created a Web site, startsmartbasketball.com, in which he often posted notes from various coaching clinics, a forum in which he shared his philosophies on the game and what he learned.

He famously took 61 pages of hand-written notes while listening to ex-Temple coach John Chaney and often quoted Dean Smith and Roy Williams, among others.

Dunlap couldn't have known it then, or that someday he would be coaching with Lute Olson, but while studying under the esteemed Pete Newell in the summer of 2004, Dunlap wrote "spend your time with the greats; watch them under pressure.''

At the same clinic, he also wrote "appreciate history.''

Thus prepared, Dunlap will get a great education at McKale Center in 2008-09. The pressure will be never-ending in a program that has one of the grandest traditions in college hoops.

After finishing ninth in last week's Nationwide Tour event in Tennessee, two-time PGA Tour regular Rich Barcelo notified organizers of the Tucson City Golf juniors program that he wanted to participate in this week's annual fundraiser. Barcelo, who is battling for another top-10 finish this week in Canada, is scheduled to be at The Stone Canyon Club Wednesday at the Swinging For Juniors event. Entry spots are available; phone 290-1742 or e-mail Brent Newcomb at southernchapterpga@yahoo.com for details. … Tucson attorney Burt Kinerk is no stranger to public attention. He has owned horses that raced in the Kentucky Derby and the Breeder's Cup, and he has represented Sean Elliott, Tedy Bruschi and Michael Bates, among others. But Kinerk couldn't have imagined he would be part of The Golf Channel's live coverage of the Nationwide Tour's Wayne Gretzky Pro-Am on Thursday afternoon. While playing with ex-Arizona Wildcat Chris Nallen, Kinerk was given some serious TV time while blasting from a fairway bunker. … Tucsonan Sara Brown has earned $7,646 in her first three LPGA Futures Tour events, climbing to No. 32 on the money list. At year's end, the top five money winners automatically receive LPGA playing privileges in 2009. Sara's brother, Josh Brown, a former Salpointe Catholic and Bradley University golfer, is serving as her caddie while on tour. … Tucsonan Ronnie Black, who turned 50 in late May, made his Champions Tour debut at the ongoing Commerce Bank Open, which ends today in East Meadow, N.Y. Black was successful in the draining Monday qualifying process on his third attempt. He shot 4-under-par 68 to get the eighth of nine spots. Black earned $600 last week while playing in a Champions Tour satellite weekend event in Massachusetts.

Former Canyon del Oro infielder Ian Kinsler appears to have a strong chance to make the American League All-Star team, to be announced next Sunday. The Texas Rangers' rising star is No. 2 in voting for second basemen, trailing Boston's Dustin Pedroia. Statistically, it's all Kinsler. Through Friday, he led the league in hits (104), runs (69), is second in total bases (174), third in doubles (25) and fifth in stolen bases (20). He is also hitting .315, which is above Pedroia's .295. If that's not All-Star worthy, what is? … After hitting a team-high .376 for Santa Clara this season and making the all-West Coast Conference team, former Salpointe Catholic outfielder Evan LeBlanc was drafted in the 24th round by the New York Mets. Although he has an injured wrist, LeBlanc signed with the Mets last week and is at the Mets' training camp in Florida awaiting to make his pro debut. … Santa Rita High School junior point guard Terrell Stoglin last week became the first Tucson schoolboy to make the Rivals 100 national list in recent history. Stoglin is ranked No. 93 overall, a four-star recruit, and is working to get a scholarship offer from a Top 25 program. … Ironwood Ridge junior Ben Esparza continues his emergence as one of the West's top young golfers. He is one of four Arizonans to qualify for the Callaway Junior World on July 14-17 at Torrey Pines in the boys 15-17 division. His second-day 71 in the state qualifying was the day's low round. … By making the cut at the U.S. Open, Tucsonan Michael Thompson will be seeded into the second round of the PGA Tour's Qualifying School in November. He still has six exemptions remaining on the tour this year, should he be fortunate enough to be awarded them. … Encouraging news for Michael Garten, executive director of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship during its first two Southern Arizona seasons: He has accepted a job back on his home turf as VP for business development for Mindgruve Inc., a San Diego-based firm that specializes in marketing and communications.

After graduating from Catalina High School, Debbie Cooper competed in gymnastics at the UA, and while there, met and later married Sherwood "Woody'' Spring. After earning his master's degree in Tucson, he became an astronaut for NASA and now works for a government intelligence program in Washington, D.C.

Woody and Debbie were in Philadelphia for the USA men's Olympic gymnastics trials last week when their son, Justin Spring, easily qualified for the USA Olympic team. Justin grew up in Virginia and attended the University of Illinois.

Much of Debbie Spring's family remains in Tucson; she and her husband plan to relocate here after Woody's retirement from government service.

Here's a name to remember: Wyatt Althoff, a CDO grad who grew up in Oracle, won the College National Finals Rodeo All-Around championship last week in Casper, Wyo. Althoff, a junior at New Mexico State, was also in the top five in tie-down roping and team roping. No stranger to the rodeo trail, or to success, Althoff spent most of last summer on the PRCA circuit where he earned about $10,000 during a break from school. …While preparing for the Olympic trials, Mountain View High School grad Lacey Nymeyer began wearing a coveted Speedo LZR suit (retail: $500), which has revolutionized the swimming industry. Between practices at the UA one day, Nymeyer left the LZR in her car. The glue holding the seams together was no match for the intense heat. Fortunately, Speedo sent her a new suit the next day. Starting today, the pressure will be intense enough to melt the glue. … I remain convinced that Chase Budinger would have been selected in the top 25 of the NBA draft, and certainly in front of No. 21 Ryan Anderson of Cal. Anderson's departure drops Cal into the second division in preseason positioning and puts Arizona up a spot, trailing UCLA, Arizona State and perhaps Washington and USC. I also think that Budinger didn't want to turn pro, fully understanding he isn't yet physically and mentally capable of holding his own on that stage.

Keep this in mind about point guard Brandon Jennings as he maneuvers to avoid playing college basketball: In large letters between his shoulder blades is the tattoo YOUNG MONEY.

The tat is bracketed on both sides by dollar signs.

So much for the staying-in-school argument.