Alabama Men’s Swimming and Diving Sending Eight Swimmers to NCAA Championships
3/14/2019 4:01:00 PM | Swimming & Diving
The Crimson Tide qualified for this year’s national championships in seven individual events and in four relays
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The NCAA released the qualifiers for the upcoming men's national swimming and diving championships this week and the Alabama Crimson Tide men are sending eight men and will compete in four relays.
Seniors Laurent Bams and Robert Howard earned NCAA championship berths for the fourth time in their respective careers, while junior Zane Waddell picked up his third trip to NCAAs. Nicholas Perera earned a berth in his rookie season.
Senior Knox Auerbach, sophomores Sam DiSette and Jack Blake and freshman Jonathan Berneburg all made the Tide's NCAA roster as part of its relay contingent. It will be the first NCAAs for all four.
"We are small in number compared to the top ranked teams but our relay strength should enable us to be competitive," UA head coach Dennis Pursley said. "This is the meet we point toward all year so we are expecting our best performances."
This year's championships will be held in Austin, Texas, at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center on the University of Texas campus March 27-30.
Bams qualified in the 100 breaststroke, while Howard will swim the 50, 100 and 200 freestyles. Perera qualified in the 400 individual medley, while Waddell earned berths in the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke.
Howard is seeded No. 1 in the nation in the 50 freestyle and fourth in the 100 freestyle, while Waddell is fourth in the 100 backstroke. Bams is seeded 13th in the 100 breaststroke heading into the NCAA Championships.
Alabama earned automatic bids in the 200 and 400 medley relays as well as the 200 and 400 freestyle relays. The Tide is the nation's No. 1 seed in the 200 medley and freestyle relays. Alabama is also seeded seventh in the 400 medley relay and fifth in the 400 freestyle relay.
Bams, Howard and Waddell return to this year's NCAA Championships having all earned multiple-time All-America honors during their Crimson Tide tenures.
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