Northwestern University Athletics
Eight NU Swimmers Qualify for NCAA Championships
3/15/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving
March 15, 2004
Northwestern game notes for NCAA Championships
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- Eight Northwestern swimmers have qualified for the NCAA Championships March 25-27 in Long Island, N.Y. The octet will compete in 18 individual events and five relays.
"This is the most athletes we've had qualify in recent memory," NU head coach Bob Groseth said. "Theoretically, that says our program is getting better. Hopefully our finish at the Championships is indicative of where we are going."
Five different Wildcats qualified for three individual events each: Senior Tony Swanson (Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids) will compete in the 200 back, 100 fly and 200 IM; senior Mark Hamming (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) is entered in the 200 IM and the 100 and 200 fly; sophomore Brian Davis (Issaquah, Wash./Issaquah) qualified for the 400 IM and the 500 and 1650 free; freshman Matt Grevers (Lake Forest, Ill./New Trier) will take part in the 100 back and the 50 and 100 free; and freshman Mike Alexandrov (Champaign, Ill./Centennial) will swim the 100 breast, 200 and 400 IM.
Junior Louis Torres (Morton Grove, Ill./Niles West) is qualified in both the 100 and 200 breast while junior Matt Wever (Boise, Idaho/Boise) will compete in the 200 free.
Sophomore Ben Dexter (Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli) will not swim any individual events, but is entered as part of three different relays.
"Only eleven other teams have eight or more guys entered," Groseth said. "We have lots of multiple qualifiers, too. I really believe that if we swim well we could finish in the top 12. If we swim lights out, we could be in the top 10."
These eight individuals also compose the Northwestern 200 medley, 400 medley, 200 free, 400 free and 800 free relay squads that have qualified for the Championships.
"All of our relays are capable of scoring," Groseth said. "I think we have the personnel to do that."
Despite closing the NCAA Diving Zone Qualifying meet, held March 12-14 in Bloomington, Ind., with his best performance, sophomore diver Mike Oxman (Brown Deer, Wis./Nicolet) was not able to move on to the NCAA Championships. Oxman finished eighth in the platform event yesterday - his best showing of the meet - but did not make the six-man short list bound for the Championships.
