|
2008 NCAA Preview
March 26, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format
Sixty-three student-athletes will represent eight of the conference's 10 men's swimming and diving squads at the 2008 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships, hosted by the University of Washington on March 27-29, at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center. Minnesota boasts the most conference representatives with 13 NCAA entries. Golden Gopher student-athletes have earned Swimmer and/or Diver of the Week honors a total of four times this season. Junior breastroke specialist Jon Roberts along with seniors Russell Payne and David Plummer will a pilot well-rounded Minnesota team packed with depth. Big Ten Champion Michigan will send a dozen swimmers to Tacoma, including Big Ten individual champions Matt Patton, Bobby Savulich, Scott Spann and Alex Vanderkaay. This marks Michigan's conference-leading 72nd appearance in the NCAA Championships. Michigan was the last Big Ten team to win an NCAA championship, doing so in 1995. The Wolverines are also the last conference squad to have placed in the top five at nationals, coming in fifth in 2004. Indiana yields 11 NCAA competitors, two of them being divers. Freshman of Year Landon Marzullo won both the one- and three-meter boards at the Big Ten Championships earning himself the honor as Diver of the Championships and Diver of the Year. Also sending 11 student-athletes, Ohio State is making its sixth-straight NCAA appearance. The Buckeyes lead the Big Ten with three diving entries, including the conference's platform champion, Wes Wieser. Penn State and Wisconsin both have five entries with each squad being led by talented juniors, the Nittany Lions' Patrick Schirk and the Badgers' Scott Rice. Northwestern sends four swimmers to Tacoma and Purdue travels one swimmer and one diver. For more information on the 2008 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships, visit the NCAA's web site at ncaasports.com, or check Washington's site at gohuskies.com.
|
|
