Two Divers, Two Relays and Four Individuals Selected for NCAA Meet
INDIANAPOLIS – The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) will have four individual swimmers, two divers and two relay teams competing at the 2012 NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championship March 21-24 at the Indiana Natatorium in Indianapolis, Ind. Franklin College and the Indiana Sports Corporation are serving as hosts for the event.
Junior Yuka Suzuka of the SUNY New Paltz women’s swimming team automatically qualified for the meet in two events: the 100 and 200 backstrokes. She is seeded fifth in the 100 backstroke with a time of 55.53 and seventh in the 200 backstroke with a time of 2:01.60. In addition, Suzuka is seeded 33rd in the 200 individual medley (2:08.62). She set program records in all three events at the 2012 SUNYAC Swimming & Diving Championships, and she established conference overall records in both backstroke events.
The Cortland Red Dragons women’s 200 freestyle relay of sophomores Sarah Culmo and MK Dugue, junior Jessica Evans and senior Michelle Seegar are seeded 13th. The NCAA allows competition in other relays for qualifying teams and in individual events for those student-athletes who have attained an NCAA provisional qualifying time but were not selected to the individual meet.
Cortland will also swim the 20 medley relay (18), 400 free relay (21) and the 800 free relay (24). In addition Culmo will participate in the 50 and 100 freestyle events where she is seeded 27th (23.84) and 29th (52.10), respectively.
The Geneseo Blue Wave women's 400 freestyle relay of junior Elyssa Max, sophomore Lily Powell and first years Abby Max and Haleigh Wixson are seeded 16th. The quartet will also swim the 800 free relay (22), the 200 free relay (23) and the 200 medley relay (25). Abby Max will compete is three individual events while Wixson competes in one. Max will swim the 500 freestyle where she is ranked 24th entering the meet (5:01.57), the 200 freestyle (22nd at 1:52.58) and 200 backstroke (22nd at 2:04.95). Wixson is seeded 26th in the 100 back (57.74).
Fredonia State junior diver Sarah Ficarro will be making her third NCAA appearance and will be competing against 21 other women from across the country in 1-meter and 3-meter springboard competitions. She has earned four All-American awards combined in her previous two D-III appearances. It'll also mark the seventh straight NCAA championship meet that at least one Fredonia State diver is entered.
Oneonta sophomore Jermaine Miller will be the lone male representative from SUNYAC and will compete in the 1-meter and 3-meter diving competitions. The 2012 year will mark Millers first NCAA appearance.
A total of 521 participants (235 male swimmers and 22 male divers; 242 female swimmers and 22 female divers) will compete in the championships. Students-athletes qualified for the swimming portion of the championships by meeting the established minimum time for the events in which they entered. Divers are selected by an independent panel of judges who view videos submitted by competitors who hit NCAA qualifyinig scores throughout the season.
DIII official psych sheets released
