University of Minnesota Athletics
MSD: Gophers Will Send 13 Swimmers To NCAA Championships
3/14/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving
The headline individual events for the Gophers will be the 200 and 100 freestyle where they will send five apiece. The 200 corps will be led by senior Terry Silkaitis, who enters the meet with the nation's third-fastest time of 1:34.24. He is a two-time Big Ten champion in the event. Sean McCaffrey, Igor Cerensek, Mario Delac and Travis Beckerle also qualified individually. In the 100 free, Silkaitis qualified the ninth-best time in the nation of 42.91 while Delac is 14th (43.34) and Cerensek is 17th (43.45). Ales Volcansek and Neil Osten also qualified in the 100 free. Minnesota also has five in the 50 freestyle with Volcansek holding the 23rd-best time of 19.85.
The Gophers' best opportunity to score major points at the meet will come in the relays where they qualified all five. The 400 freestyle relay team of Delac, Silkaitis, Adam Mitchell and Cerensek qualified the nation's third-fastest time of 2:51.24. Minnesota's 200 freestyle relay team owns the fourth-best time in the nation as well while the 800 freestyle relay team has the sixth-best time.
Other top individuals entering the Championships are senior Justin Mortimer, who qualified fourth in the 1650 free, seventh in the 500 free and eighth in the 400 individual medley and Mitchell who is seeded seventh in the 200 individual medley, 10th in the 400 IM and ninth in the 200 backstroke. Freshman David Plummer takes the nation's seventh- best time into the 200 backstroke as well.
The Gophers have posted five straight top 10 finishes at the NCAA Championships. They took ninth last year.
MINNESOTA NCAA QUALIFIERS
Travis Beckerle, junior, St. Louis, Mo. (second NCAA trip • 2004 All-American)
Dan Berve, sophomore, Papillion, Neb. (first NCAA trip)
Igor Cerensek, sophomore, Zagreb, Croatia (second NCAA trip •three-time All- American)
Mario Delac, sophomore, Zagreb, Croatia (second NCAA trip • three-time All- American)
Sean McCaffrey, senior, Evanston, Ill. (third NCAA trip • two-time All-American)
Adam Mitchell, junior, Des Moines, Iowa (second NCAA trip •two-time All-American)
Justin Mortimer, senior, Milton, Mass. (fourth NCAA trip •nine-time All-American)
Neil Osten, senior, Verona, Wis. (third NCAA trip •three-time All-American)
Russ Payne, freshman, Broomfield, Colo. (first NCAA trip)
David Plummer, freshman, Oklahoma City, Okla. (first NCAA trip)
Terry Silkaitis, senior, Skokie, Ill. (fourth NCAA trip • 18-time All-American)
Jason Timmer, freshman, Sauk Rapids, Minn. (first NCAA trip)
Ales Volcansek, sophomore, Zagreb, Croatia (second NCAA trip •two-time All-American)
Players Mentioned
