March 13, 2008
Texas A&M will be represented by eight swimmers at the 2008 NCAA Men?â„¢s Swimming & Diving Championships, which will be contested at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Wash., March 27-29.
The eight Aggies will be seeking Texas A&M?â„¢s 13th straight top 25 finish at the NCAA Championships, which is an all-sports school record at A&M. Only 10 teams, led by Florida with 17 qualifiers, will take more swimmers to the national meet than the Aggies.
Making the NCAA cut for the Aggies were seniors Luke Chambless, Ozzie Gardner and Alejandro Jacobo, junior Brad Raiford and sophomores Jason Bergstrom, Nikita Denisyako, Israel Duran and Casey Strange. The eight qualifiers are the most by the Aggies since head coach Jay Holmes?â„¢ first season in 2005 when A&M took eight swimmers and two divers to nationals.
?All we?â„¢ve done so far is give ourselves an opportunity,? Holmes said. ?There are a lot of teams out there that didn?â„¢t get their personnel to the NCAA Championships, and their opportunity is gone. Ours is still ahead of us.?
Holmes will choose 200- and 400-yard freestyle and medley relays from the pool of eight Aggie qualifiers. A&M?â„¢s 200 free relay and its 200 and 400 medley relays are all seeded in the top 16 nationally, while the 400 free relay is seeded No. 17.
Individually, Chambless will swim in the 100 and 200 breaststroke; Gardner will swim the 50 and 100 free; Jacobo will compete in the 100 and 200 breaststroke; Bergstrom will compete in the 100 back; Denisyako is qualified in the 100 and 200 back and the 200 IM; Duran will swim the 100 and 200 butterfly; and Strange will swim the 50 and 100 free.
Another Aggie will be looking to qualify for the NCAA Championships when freshman diver Tim Lavers competes at the NCAA Zone ?D? Diving Championships March 14-16 at the University of Houston.