Ten swimmers from the Indiana University men’s team earned individual qualifying berths to the 2019 NCAA Championships in Austin, Texas on March 27-30, the NCAA announced on Wednesday.
Earning individual berths for the Hoosiers were Zach Apple, Zane Backes, Bruno Blaskovic, Michael Brinegar, Mikey Calvillo, Gabriel Fantoni, Ian Finnerty, Vini Lanza, Van Mathias and Mohamed Samy. The Hoosiers also qualified for all five relays.
Indiana is one of only nine schools in the country to earn double-digit invitees to this year’s NCAA Championships. Among the 10 swimmers for IU, an impressive four are freshmen.
Along with the swimmers, the Hoosier divers will compete for their places at the NCAA Championships next week at the NCAA Zone C Championships in West Lafayette, Ind. from March 14-16.
Last year at the NCAA Championships, Indiana earned the program’s best finish in 43 years, placing third overall with a total of 422 points. Indiana won a total of four NCAA titles over the week, the most for the team since winning six crowns in 1973. The top-10 finish for the Hoosiers at the NCAA Championships was the sixth in the last seven years.
Below is a list of the 10 Hoosier swimmers who qualified for individual events at the 2019 NCAA Championships, along with their seeding in each event:
Individuals
Zach Apple – 50 freestyle (10th), 100 freestyle (7th), 200 freestyle (8th)
Zane Backes – 100 breaststroke (7th), 200 breaststroke (25th)
Bruno Blaskovic – 50 freestyle (22nd), 100 freestyle (14th), 100 butterfly (10th)
Michael Brinegar – 1,650 freestyle (3rd)
Mikey Calvillo – 1,650 freestyle (14th)
Gabriel Fantoni – 100 backstroke (6th), 200 backstroke (8th), 100 butterfly (24th)
Ian Finnerty – 100 breaststroke (1st), 200 breaststroke (2nd), 200 IM (6th)
Vini Lanza – 100 butterfly (2nd), 200 butterfly (1st), 200 IM (2nd)
Van Mathias – 100 butterfly (31st), 200 butterfly (29th)
Mohamed Samy – 200 freestyle (13th)
Relays
800 Freestyle Relay – 6:11.02 (3rd)
200 Freestyle Relay – 1:16.01 (5th)
400 Medley Relay – 3:01.63 (1st)
200 Medley Relay – 1:23.32 (7th)
400 Freestyle Relay – 2:48.67 (6th)
ESPN3.com will live stream finals sessions on Wednesday through Saturday. Preliminary sessions on Thursday through Saturday will be streamed live on www.texassports.com. Additionally, ESPNU
