University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Ready for NCAA Championships
3/25/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving
| Minnesota at the 2015 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships | |
| Date | March 26-28, 2015 |
| Time | Preliminaries - 11 a.m. CT Finals - 7 p.m. CT |
| Location | Iowa City, Iowa Campus Recreation and Wellness Center |
| Championship Page | Click Here |
| Live Results | Diving |
| Live Video (ESPN3) | Friday PM Saturday PM |
| Live Video (NCAA) | Thursday AM Thursday PM Friday AM Saturday AM |
| TV (ESPNU) | Airs Wednesday, April 8 at 5 p.m. |
| Social Media | Facebook |
March 25, 2015
IOWA CITY - The Golden Gophers have returned to the University of Iowa's Campus Recreation and Wellness Center for some unfinished business. The 2015 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships will begin Thursday, March 26 and will run through Saturday, March 28. At the 2015 Big Ten Championships, Minnesota recorded a sixth-place finish, strongly led by underclassmen - showing great promise for upcoming seasons. Six Gophers make up the team's NCAA Championships roster.
Two veteran swimmers are set to represent the Gophers at this year's NCAA Championships. Senior captain CJ Smith will look to close out a successful career at Minnesota, competing in the 500 and 1650 freestyle events. Smith currently ranks third all-time at Minnesota in the 1650 free with a 14:46.09, and is a three-time All-American Honorable Mention in the event. At the 2015 Big Ten Championships, Smith earned a career-best finish of third place, taking home the bronze medal. Smith was also the Gophers' Big Ten Sportsmanship Honoree this year.
Joining Smith in the pool is assistant captain, Jakub Maly, who will compete in the 400 IM, 200 IM and 200 breast. Although only a sophomore, the Austrian native boasts big-meet experience both from last year's NCAA Championships and internationally. Maly broke the Minnesota school record in the 400 IM with a 3:42.54 at the 2015 Big Ten Championships, placing third. Maly has his eye on two other Minnesota school records in the 200 IM and 200 breaststroke. Maly's best mark in the 200 breaststroke (1:55.46) is just one-tenth off the Gophers' record (1:55.36), which was set by Ivan Gutesa in 2011. At the conference championship meet Maly was the swimming team's top individual point-scorer, finishing with 32 points.
The Gophers' roster also boasts four divers, tied for the most in the nation with three other schools including Virginia Tech, Purdue and Southern California. Sophomore Matt Barnard, Minnesota's sole diver at the 2014 NCAA Championships, will be joined by teammates Manny Pollard, Dylan Zoe and Erik Larsen. Barnard is looking to acquire All-American status in platform diving this weekend, his favorite event. At last year's NCAA Championships, Barnard sustained an injury during three-meter diving and was unable to compete on platform.
Junior Manny Pollard was Minnesota's highest individual point scorer at the 2015 Big Ten Championships with 33 points in the three diving events. Pollard was the only male diver from Minnesota to advance to this weekend's NCAA Championships with A-cuts in every event at the NCAA Zone D Diving Championships.
Like Pollard and Larsen, this weekend will mark Dylan Zoe's first NCAA Championships appearance. The junior credits this year's diving success to head diving coach Wenbo Chen, who qualified eight divers (four women, four men) to the most prestigious meet of the year. Zoe had the highest in-season best score for the Gophers in three-meter diving.
Senior Erik Larsen punched his ticket to this weekend's meet after placing seventh on platform at the NCAA Zone D Diving Championships. Larsen is excited to compete in his final meet as a Gopher with his teammates by his side. Larsen is a captain for the Gophers.
At the 2014 NCAA Championships, Minnesota placed 22nd, capped by a fourth-place finish from now-alum Derek Toomey. Toomey became the first man in the Big Ten Conference to ever swim a sub-19 50 freestyle when he led off Minnesota's 200 free relay with a 18.95 during prelims. Smith, Maly and Barnard are those returning from last year's NCAA Championships squad.
Minnesota's 2015 NCAA Championships Roster
Matt Barnard - 1m, 3m, Platform
Erik Larsen - 3m, Platform
Jakub Maly - 400 IM, 200 IM, 200 Breast
Manny Pollard - 1m, 3m, Platform
CJ Smith - 500 Free, 1650 Free
Dylan Zoe - 1m, 3m, Platform
Players Mentioned
