March 30, 2008

• NCAA Championship Results and Coverage

Miami's Ross Wins NCAA Title In Men's Three-Meter Springboard

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. - Less than a week after teammate Brittany Viola won an NCAA championship in the women's platform, University of Miami sophomore diver Reuben Ross won his first NCAA title with a score of 466.80 in the men's three-meter springboard finals Friday at the 2008 Men's Swimming and Diving Championships at the King County Aquatic Center.

Ross, who had earned All-American status on Thursday with a sixth-place finish in the one-meter finals, beat out 2007 NCAA Diver of the Year Chris Colwill of Georgia for three-meter title.

Opening the final round with a score of 77.50 on his first dive, Ross held an early four-point lead over Colwill - also the 2007 three-meter champion - after he turned in a mark of 73.40. On his second dive, Ross would extend his lead to more than 13 points with another impressive dive of 80.50. Colwill would get two points back on the third dive and nearly catch Ross on the fourth dive with a mark of 73.10 to Ross' 63.00 but the fifth dive would prove to be difference for Ross.

• Ross Finishes Fourth In Platform At NCAA Championships

Virginia Men Place 15th at 2008 NCAA Championships

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. - With standout performances over the past three days totaling 69 points, the Virginia men's swimming team ended the 2008 NCAA Championships late Saturday with a 15th-place finish. The event was held at the King County Aquatic Center and was hosted by the University of Washington.

Arizona won the title with 500.5 points while Texas (406) was second and Stanford (344) finished third. The Cavaliers had the highest finish among ACC schools.

First-year John Snawerdt placed eighth (14:59.02) in the first event of the day, the 1650 free, to earn first team All-America accolades. Taylor Smith also placed 20th in the event, touching at 15:13.14.

Fourth-year PJ Sullivan, competing in his last NCAA meet, placed 12th in the 200 breast with a time of 1:56.70, giving him honorable mention All-America honors.

• 800 Free Relay Notches Fourth-Place Finish

Tar Heels' Kinderwater Sets School Record, Finishes Fifth in Mile At NCAA Championships

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. - Freshman Joe Kinderwater finished fifth in the 1650-yard freestyle Saturday night at the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships hosted by the University of Washington. Kinderwater set the school record in the process and joined senior diver Ryan Funderburk and freshman Tyler Harris in earning All-America honors at the Championships.

Kinderwater blazed through the water in 14:53.57, his career best time and the new University record in the event. Kinderwater broke the school record of his sophomore teammate Chip Peterson, who is redshirting this season. Peterson had set the school record at 14:55.63 at last year's NCAA Championships.

Two other Tar Heels were in the water Saturday as Tyler Harris finished 32nd in the 200-yard butterfly at 1:48.10 and senior Philip Owen was 28th in the 1650-yard freestyle at 15:25.23.

• Funderburk Becomes North Carolina's First Men's Diving All-America In 51 Years

FSU Swimmers Nick Graves and Ian Rowe Earn Honorable Mention All-American Honors

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. - Florida State swimming and diving collected two more honorable mention All-American awards at the 2008 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships in Federal Way, Wash. as sophomore Nick Graves and freshman Ian Rowe both placed in the top 16 in the 1650 free.

"Both of our guys swam best times which is what this is all about," FSU assistant coach Alex Braunfeld said. "Becoming an All-American was a goal for both of them and they achieved that."

Rowe and Graves both earned their first career All-American honors. Rowe finished 10th in a time of 15:00.14 while Graves finished 14th in 15:05.01. Overall the Seminole brought home three honorable mention All-American finishes and two All-American honors.

"All three of the guys we brought earned All-American honors," Braunfeld said. "They're happy so that makes me happy. It was a great meet."

• Terry Horner Earns Honorable Mention All-American On The Three-Meter

Virginia Tech's McDonald Concludes NCAAs With 15th-Place Result in the Platform

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. - Virginia Tech diver Mikey McDonald (Annandale, Va.) overcame the obstacle of not having a 10-meter platform on campus to practice on each day by finishing 15th in the event during the third and final day of the 2008 Men's NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships at the King County Aquatic Center outside of Seattle. The sophomore concludes his first trip to the meet with eight points and three top-20 finishes.

Virginia Tech placed 37th with eight points in the team competition because of McDonald's performance this week. Arizona won the title with 500.5 points, followed by Texas (406) and Stanford (344) in second and third-place, respectively. Only three other ACC schools (Virginia, North Carolina, Miami) earned points with the Cavaliers leading the pack at 15th with 69 total.

"Mikey just did a fantastic job with two really good lists of dives," diving coach Ron Piemonte said. "A lot of coaches have told me that today was the most difficult and deepest platform event in the history of the NCAA Diving Championships. Considering that we only have a five-meter platform, for Mikey to get in the top-16 is huge. It was really a lot of fun to watch and shows what kind of competitor he is."

• McDonald Earns Second Top-20 Finish at NCAAs

Georgia Tech's Noah Copeland Breaks School Record At NCAA Men's Swimming Championships

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. - Georgia Tech junior Noah Copeland set a new school record in the 100-free on Saturday at the NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships held at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Wash. Copeland registered a time of 43.83 to break his own school record that he set in last month's ACC Championships by .04 seconds.

The time for Copeland came during the final day's prelims session. He finished 34th, and did not qualify for the finals session later this evening.

Copeland also competed in the 200-free and 500-free during the championships. He registered a time of 1:36.64 in the 200-free, while finishing the 500-free in 4:33.81.

NC State's Mellor Offers Solid Showing at NCAA Championships

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. - Stephen Mellor put up another strong effort on the final day of the NCAA Championships on Saturday, March 29. The redshirt junior native of Chesire, England competed in the 200-back prelims, swimming a 1:44.11 and finishing 24th overall. The time marks the second-best in school history for the event.

"It was an awesome experience," said Mellor. "The meet is known as one of the fastest in the world, and it lived up to that expectation."

The NC State school record in the 200-back is 1:43.98, which Mellor set while qualifying for the NCAA Championships.

"Stephen had a good swim overall and it was a great experience for him," said head Wolfpack swimming and diving coach Brooks Teal. "He came away from the competition feeling as best as he could. Finishing in the top-24 in the country is a very good accomplishment."