Five Swimmers Earn NCAA Championship Berths
3/25/2009 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
March 11, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Five members of the Alabama men's swimming and diving team are headed to the upcoming NCAA Championships which will be held March 26-28 in College Station, Texas, including three that are ranked in the top 25 of the 500 freestyle.
All-Americans Mark Randall and Catalin Cosma along with freshman Joe Ziegler will swim the 500 freestyle with Randall seeded 13th, Cosma 18th and Ziegler 23rd.
"We've got a strong group of guys heading to the championships," Alabama head coach Eric McIlquham said. "We've got a chance to do some damage and score some big points in our events."
Randall, the school record holder in the 500, 1000 and 1650 freestyles, will be making his return to the NCAA Championships after redshirting last season to train for the Olympic Games. He is also swimming the 1650 freestyle, where he is seeded 10th, and the 200 freestyle.
Cosma, who finished seventh in the mile at last year's NCAA Championships, is ranked 26th coming into this year's championships. Ziegler also qualified in the 200 freestyle and the 200 backstroke. The rookie is the school record holder in the 200 backstroke. Sophomore Denes Zubcsek, making his NCAA Championship debut, is seeded 15th in the 200 butterfly. He also qualified in the 100 butterfly and the 200 freestyle.
The Tide's school record 800 freestyle relay of Cosma, Ziegler, Zubcsek and All-American Alin Mihalca will also be looking to score at the championships. The foursome broke the previous school mark, set in 1983, during the Southeastern Conference Championships last month.
While the swimmers have punched their tickets to the big dance, Tide divers Aaron Fleshner and Adam Booher have their chance to earn bids to the collegiate championships this weekend at the NCAA Zone B Championships held in Knoxville, Tenn.
"Aaron and Adam have had great seasons up to this point," McIlquham said. "Getting them to the NCAA Championships will give us a big boost in our scoring potential."
Fleshner, a junior, is the 2009 SEC Diver of the Year, while Booher, a sophomore, finaled off both the three-meter board and platform.
Players Mentioned
