Eleven swimmers and divers prepare for nationals
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps swimming and diving program heads into the NCAA Championships as one of only three teams in the nation with individual, relay and diving qualifiers for both men and women. Five stags and six Athenas will make the trip to Shenandoah, Texas for the meet held March 15-18.
For all information about logistics at the Championships, please visit the Meet Central Homepage.
This will be the first trip to nationals for five of the CMS athletes: freshmen Claire Bacon-Brenes (SC), Jocelyn Crawford (CMC), Ben Culberson (CMC), Kendall Hollimon (CMC), sophomore Jackson Crewe (HMC), and junior Elizabeth Carrade (CMC). Seniors Stephanie Doi (CMC) and Graham Spurzem (CMC) and junior Maia Presti (SC) make their second career appearance while seniors Kelly Ngo (CMC) and Matthew Williams (CMC) have gone each of their four years.
Hollimon and Presti qualified from their performances at the NCAA Region 2 Diving Championships. Hollimon took first place on both the 3-meter and 1-meter boards and will compete in both at the National Championships. Presti also qualified by placing second on the 1M. They were the only divers from the SCIAC to advance to nationals.
For the women's relay swimming, the SCIAC-winning 200-yard medley relay (Ngo, Bacon-Brenes, Doi, Crawford) that kicked off the conference meet three weeks ago swam 1:43.88 and is seeded 13th. Those same four complied the 11th fastest 400-yard medley relay time in the nation at 3:47.90. Ngo, Crawford, Carrade and Doi will additionally be competing in the 200-yard freestyle relay.
Individually, Bacon-Brenes, Carrade, and Crawford will each compete in the maximum, three events. Bacon-Brenes qualified for the 100-yard (16th – 1:03.51) and 200-yard breaststroke (16th – 2:19.06) and will also race in the 200-yard individual medley with teammate Doi. Carrade enters the championships ranked 13th in the 1650-yard freestyle (17:09.26) and will also compete in the 500-yard freestyle and 200 free. The SCIAC's Newcomer of the Year, Crawford, qualified for five events including the two medley relays. She is seeded 13th in the 100-yard freestyle (51.24), fifth in the 100-yard backstroke (55.67) and 10th in the 50-yard freestyle.
In addition to the three relays, the veterans Doi and Ngo will swim in a handful of individual events. Doi will race with Bacon-Brenes in the 200 IM and then in the 100-yard butterfly while Ngo is slated to compete in the 100-yard backstroke.
The four swimmers (Crewe, Culberson, Spurzem, and Williams) on the men's team will also compete in three relays. Their composite time of 6:42.18 in the 800-yard freestyle relay ranks sixth in the nation. The quartet plans on additionally racing in the 200 free relay and 200 medley relay.
Culberson's SCIAC Championships times of 15.33.89 in the 1650 free and 4:28.89 in the 500 free earned him fifth and ninth seeds respectively for the National Championships. He will compete in the 200 free as well. In addition to the relays, Spurzem will sprint in the 100 free.
Williams, the two-time SCIAC Athlete of the Year, individually qualified for three events. Last season he placed second in the 200-yard backstroke and won the national championship in the 100 back. This year, he enters the National Championships seeded 11thin the 200 back (1:48.06) and third in the 100 back (48.69). Three weeks ago, Williams set a new conference, meet and CMS record in the 100 fly (48.66) that ranks him fifth in the field for nationals.
Schedule of Events:
Wednesday, March 15
500 Free
200 IM
50 Free
W 3M Diving
200 Medley Relay
Thursday, March 16
200 Free Relay
400 IM
100 Fly
200 Free
M 1M Diving
400 Medley Relay
Friday, March 17
200 Fly
100 Back
100 Breast
W 1M Diving
800 Free Relay
Saturday, March 18
1650 Free
100 Free
200 Back
200 Breast
M 3M Diving
400 Free Relay
NCAA release | Complete list of qualifiers | NCAA Digital Program
By Emily Nordhoff
Sports Information Director
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