The UW men’s and women’s swim teams will face a challenge this weekend when they compete in a dual meet against the University of Texas today and Texas A&M tomorrow and Sunday.

After both teams were defeated by Cal and Stanford three weeks ago, the men stand at 5-2 overall and 0-2 in the Pac-10, while the women are 5-4 overall and 0-2 in the Pac-10.

As they navigate through one of the most difficult schedules in the nation, the Huskies will be facing a Texas team that is ranked No. 1 on the men’s side and No. 4 on the women’s side.

“They’re a very good team, both men and women,” coach Whitney Hite said. “There’s no better men’s team in the country.”

Although the competition is difficult, Hite is focused on the performances of his individual swimmers and whether they are moving in the right direction as the season progresses toward the Pac-10 championships.

“I’m not too concerned about wins and losses at this point,” he said. “This is in preparation for what we do in March.”

On the men’s side, Hite is expecting another set of strong performances from seniors Scott Spansail and Evan Bernier. Spansail won the 500-meter freestyle against Cal and Stanford in October, while Bernier has put up some impressive times in the 100-meter backstroke and 200-meter freestyle.

The women will be looking to turn things around this weekend, and will look to senior Genevieve Patterson, who has won three races in the last two meets.

All in all, this weekend will act as a great measuring stick for the Huskies and provide them with some very important experience.

“This is a great opportunity for us to see how we compete,” Hite said. “A chance to see how our guys perform under pressure and if they can step it up.”

Reach reporter Scott Eisen at sports@dailyuw.com.