Alabama Women’s Swimming and Diving Ready to Roll at NCAA Championships

GREENSBORO, N.C. – A year has gone by since the Alabama women's swimming and diving team was packed and ready to head east for the 2020 NCAA Championships only to have the championships, and the rest of collegiate spring season, brought to a close due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This week the team once again packed for the national championships, but this time they were able to load up and make the trip east, all the way to the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, N.C., site of this year's NCAA meet.

Things still have not fully returned to normal. The facility, usually packed the family, friends and fans, will be empty save for the student-athletes and essential staff. But in this different season, the Crimson Tide is used to making its own energy, cheering each other on. This season, maybe more so than ever before, the Alabama contingent is grateful for the opportunity before them and the simple joy of competing against the best of the best while representing the script A of the Crimson Tide.

A total of 11 swimmers and one diver will represent Alabama at this year's championships, which get underway Wednesday at 5 p.m. CT with the 800 freestyle relay, before getting started with a full complement of races on Thursday, with prelims starting at 9 a.m. and finals at 5 p.m., and continue with the same schedule through Saturday.

Interim Head Coach Ozzie Quevedo Said

"We are so excited for the opportunities that we have this week in Greensboro. A year ago, our season was brought to an abrupt end, but I think that has made us even more aware of the blessings in our life and made us extremely grateful for this chance to take part in the sport we love so much. As a team, we have a lot of opportunities in front of us and we want to make the very best of them. We can't wait to get things started and represent the script A."

At the National Championships

The Alabama women qualified 12 student-athletes for this year's NCAA Championships including 11 swimmers and one diver
It is the Crimson Tide's largest contingent at the national championships in more than 25 years
The Crimson Tide's contingent is led by Rhyan White, the Southeastern Conference Swimmer of the Meet and Commissioner's Trophy winner
The 2021 SEC 100 and 200 backstroke and 100 butterfly champion, White is seeded No. 1 in the 100 and 200 backstrokes
Morgan Scott and Kalia Antoniou, the SEC 100 freestyle and 50 freestyle champions, respectively, are both headed back to the championships
Both Scott and Antoniou qualified in the 50 and 100 freestyles
Scott also qualified in the 200 freestyle and is seeded in the top-10 in the 100 and 200 freestyles
Antoniou is seeded fourth in the 50 freestyle and eighth in the 100
Tanesha Lucoe becomes the 12th member of the Alabama women's squad to earn a place at the NCAA Championships, earning a spot on the platform at the NCAA Zone B Diving Championships, which were also held in Greensboro
Lucoe was the SEC Champion off the platform in 2020 and the silver medalist this season
Kensey McMahon, who has finished in the top two in the mile at the last two SEC Championships, qualified in the 500 and 1,650 freestyles and is seeded fourth in the 1,650
Flora Molnar qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 100 freestyle
Rookie Cora Dupre qualified in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyles, after taking the silver in the 50 freestyle and bronze in the 100 at the SEC Championships
Dupre is seeded seventh in the 50 freestyle
Diana Petkova, who joined the Crimson Tide for the spring semester in January and earned bronze in the 100 breaststroke at the SEC Championships, is slated to swim the 100 freestyle, 100 breaststroke and 200 individual medley
Freshman Gracie Felner earned spots in the 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly
Cat Wright qualified in the 100 breaststroke and 200 individual medley
Morgan Liberto punched her ticket in the 100 and 200 backstrokes and is seeded 10th in the 200 backstroke
Kaila Wong is headed to the NCAA Championships as part of the Crimson Tide's relay contingent
Alabama also qualified all five relays for the NCAA Championships, and is seeded second in the 400 freestyle relay

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