March 15, 2000
While nine of his teammates spend their spring break training in College Station for the upcoming NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships, Texas A&M swimmer Devin Howard is in Greece where he will represent the United States at the Short Course World Championships.
Howard is redshirting his senior season for the Aggies in preparation to compete in his home pool for the 2001 NCAA Championships, leaving him available to compete internationally. Last summer, Howard was a member of the gold-medal-winning 800-meter freestyle relay team at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada. Howard also earned a bronze medal in the 200-meter butterfly at the 1999 Pan-Am Games.
Howard will swim the 200m-fly and will be in consideration for the 800m-free relay, which the U.S. has never won a medal in at this event.
"Two guys I know are already on the relay, and there are two other guys whose 200-free times are faster than mine," Howard said. "If we swim a prelim in the event, I'll probably get a shot to prove my worth and maybe make the relay, but if it's just a finals event, it will be kind of a long shot. I just want us to have the best four guys that day in the event."
Meanwhile back in Aggieland, seven members of head swimming coach Mel Nash's squad and both of head diving coach Kevin Wright's men are busily preparing for the NCAA Championships, which will be March 23-25 at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Sophomore Jesse Even and freshman Adam Morgan qualified to dive in the event by virtue of their finish last weekend in the Zone D Diving Championships in College Station. Senior Erik Toth, juniors Alfred Mansour and David Morrow and sophomores Patrick Kennedy, Riley Janes and Nik Tate will represent the Aggie swimmers. Also going to the meet as an alternate on the 400-meter freestyle relay team will be senior Scott Taylor.