Opinion: Ranking the Top 5 Athletes to come out of Arizona

No. 2 - Ryk Neethling

Arguably one of the best swimmers to come out of the University of Arizona, the South African native cemented his swimming reputation while in Tucson as he earned numerous awards and accolades, including being a 9-time NCAA National Champion, a former Arizona Athlete of the Year, and a Pac-10 Athlete of the Year for four consecutive years. 

He is the former joint World Record holder of the 4×100m freestyle relay and broke the 100m Individual Medley World Record in 2005.

A gold medal winner in the 2004 Summer Olympics for the 4 x 100m freestyle relay, he is easily one of the most accomplished swimmers to come out of Arizona and participated in four consecutive Olympics. 

His accomplishments especially at the collegiate level are impressive and are the reason why he deserves to be so high on the list!