Alabama
Men's NCAA Championships
Alabama Men’s Swimming and Diving Opens NCAA Championships on Thursday
3/27/2019 4:56:00 PM | Swimming & Diving
The Crimson Tide has eight men at this year’s championships, including senior Robert Howard, who is seeded first in the 50 freestyle
AUSTIN, Texas – With practice officially over for the season, the Alabama men's swimming and diving team cranks things up at the 2019 NCAA Championships on Thursday. 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.
"The championship meet is really what it's all about," UA head coach Dennis Pursley said. "It's what you work toward from day one of the season. It's a great opportunity and one that we're really excited about."
The Crimson Tide has eight swimmers at this year's championships, including five that qualified in individual events and three swimming as part of UA's potent relay lineup.
The senior duo of Laurent Bams and Robert Howard, along with junior Zane Waddell, lead the way for the Crimson Tide. Howard is the Southeastern Conference Champion in the 50 and 100 freestyle and is the No. 1 seed in the 50 with an 18.74. He is also seeded fourth in the 100 with a time of 41.57 and 11th in the 200 freestyle.
"We're looking to finish as high as we can in the team standing," Howard said. "We're not taking as many people as some of the other teams, so that's motivation for us, to finish as well as we can with the people we have in the meet."
The SEC 100 backstroke champion, Waddell is seeded fourth in the 100 backstroke with a time of 44.77, while Bams is seeded 13th in the 100 breaststroke after posting a 51.96 at SECs.
Sophomore Sam DiSette (50 freestyle) and freshman Nicholas Perera (400 individual medley) both earned individual bids to the championships. DiSette turned in a career-best 19.38 in the 50 at the SEC Championships, while Perera clocked a school record 3:43.64 in the 400 IM at SECs.
Senior Knox Auerbach, sophomore Jack Blake and freshman Jonathan Berneburg all made the Tide's NCAA roster as part of its relay contingent.
"It's probably the loudest venue we go to, and everyone wants to see fast swimming, It's a loud, exciting, team-based environment," Auerbach said.
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.
"We're coming off an SEC Championship meet where we won three relay titles and were second in a fourth against some of the best teams in the county," Pursley said. "So realistically, we'll be racing for the top spot in some relays this week."
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Players Mentioned
