Steve Rader
And now the waiting game begins for the Wittenberg men's and
women's swimming and diving teams - or at least those individuals
who hope to compete in the NCAA Division III Championship meets
next month.
Five Wittenberg swimmers have posted times that qualify for the
championship meet, three women and two men. But none are guaranteed
a spot, and based upon previous seasons, only two individuals are
resting easily upon their accomplishments during the 2003-04
regular season.
Senior Steve Rader (Concord, Ohio/St. Ignatius) is
in good shape with several outstanding qualifying times. He lowered
his time in the 400-meter Individual Medley last weekend at the
Veale Last Chance Invitational at Case Western Reserve, touching
the wall in 4:14.5, breaking a seven-year-old record.
Already a three-time All-American, Rader is now pointing toward one
final meet, the national championships at Principia College in St.
Louis, Mo. He is among the nation's best in several events, and he
will be trying to improve on fourth place, his best finish ever in
a national meet.
Also in good standing for the national meet is sophomore
Becca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ky./Shelby County), who
has posted several qualifying times in distance freestyle and
individual medley events. She was an Honorable Mention All-America
a year ago, and her times in 2003-04 have been even better.
On the bubble, so to speak, are senior Alex Berger
(Findlay, Ohio/Findlay) from the men's team and sophomore
Betany Yeakley (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington) and
freshman Jenny Mulligan (Cheyney, Pa./Delaware Valley
Friends). from the women's team. All three have at least
one national qualifying time, but none rank in the top-20 in an
individual event. The normal cut-off for the NCAA meet is between
22-25 competitors per event.
The women will find out Thursday whether they are invited to
compete at the national meet, scheduled for March 11-13 at
Principia. The men must wait until next Thursday, March 4, before
their announcement is made.
Next: 3/11-13 NCAA Division III Championships (Women)
3/18-20 NCAA Division III Championships (Men)
Hosted by Principia College in St. Louis, Mo.