University of Minnesota Athletics
NCAA Championships Start Wednesday Night
3/21/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving
March 21, 2017
The Golden Gophers will close their season this week at the NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships. The meet runs Wednesday, March 22 through Saturday, March 25. Preliminary sessions (every day except Wednesday) begin at 9 a.m. CT and finals start at 5 p.m. Six individuals and five relays were invited to compete for Minnesota in Indianapolis.
"It's always exciting when you have all five relays," head coach Kelly Kremer said. "They've all qualified pretty well and they're all seeded pretty well. That development of those men and what they've done for those relays has been exciting. I can't wait to watch."
Four out of the five Minnesota relays posted automatic qualifying times. Daryl Turner, Conner McHugh, Tuomas Pokkinen and Bowe Becker broke the program 400-yard medley relay record in 3:07.03 to earn bronze at the Big Ten Championships. Other relay team members traveling to Indianapolis are Paul Fair and Nick Saulnier.
In addition to relays, McHugh and Becker were invited to compete in individual events. McHugh, a junior, holds the Gophers' records in the 100 breaststroke (52.44) and 200 breaststroke (1:53.61). Becker holds the 100 freestyle record (42.24) and will also swim the 50 free (19.08) with automatic qualifying times in both.
Senior Eric Sande will join McHugh in the 100 breast. He notched Minnesota's second-best time in history at Big Tens in 52.52.
"Eric's a perfect example of somebody where confidence means everything," Kremer said. "Eric is the type of young man that he'll come up to you and tell you exactly what he's going to do and then he goes out and does it. He's such a confident racer. I'm really proud of him for making the meet and now I know he wants to have an impact on it."
Senior Jakub Maly holds the Minnesota record in the 400 individual medley and has a seed time of 3:44.41 this year. He was also part of the 800 free relay at Big Tens.
Three-time All-American Matt Barnard will return to compete in all three diving events as senior. He was seventh in 3-meter and ninth in platform last year. Sophomore Alan LeBlang makes his second NCAA Championships appearance and will compete in 3-meter and platform.
"The individual swims we have are quality swims," Kremer said. "We have a real chance to put some points on the board individually there. The same thing on the diving side. Look at the experience we have with Matt closing out his senior year. He's just an outstanding diver. I really hope to see him finish his career at Minnesota the way he wants to."
Minnesota has five seniors, a junior, two sophomores and two freshmen making the trip.
"With Jakub and Eric and Paul and Daryl, and Matt on the boards, that senior leadership means a ton," Kremer said. "They've meant a lot to us all year. They're one of the key reasons our team is in a better position this year than a year ago."
NCAA Selections and Seed Times
Bowe Becker
50 Free (19.08)
100 Free (42.24)
Jakub Maly
400 IM (3:44.41)
Conner McHugh
100 Breast (52.44)
200 Breast (1:53.61)
Eric Sande
100 Breast (52.52)
200 Free Relay (1:17.68: Becker, Fair, Turner, Pokkinen)
400 Free Relay (2:51.31: Becker, Fair, Turner, Pokkinen)
800 Free Relay (6:21.39: Fair, Maly, Pokkinen, Saulnier)
200 Medley Relay (1:24.53: Turner, McHugh, Fair, Becker)
400 Medley Relay (3:07.03: Turner, McHugh, Pokkinen, Becker)
| NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS | |
| Dates | Wednesday, March 22-Saturday, March 25 |
| Time | Prelims: 9 a.m. CT / Finals: 5 p.m. CT |
| Location | Indianapolis, Ind. / IUPUI Natatorium |
| Meet Information | Championship Central / Schedule (ET) / Program |
| Live Stats | Live Stats / Diving Live Scoring |
| Live Video | Day 1 / Day 2 / Day 3 / Day 4 / ESPN3 (Day 3-4 Finals) |
| Psych Sheets | Psych Sheet / Qualified Divers |
| Clips | Gophers Revive Relay Tradition |
| Social Media | @GopherSwimDive / Facebook / Instagram |
The Golden Gophers will close their season this week at the NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships. The meet runs Wednesday, March 22 through Saturday, March 25. Preliminary sessions (every day except Wednesday) begin at 9 a.m. CT and finals start at 5 p.m. Six individuals and five relays were invited to compete for Minnesota in Indianapolis.
"It's always exciting when you have all five relays," head coach Kelly Kremer said. "They've all qualified pretty well and they're all seeded pretty well. That development of those men and what they've done for those relays has been exciting. I can't wait to watch."
Four out of the five Minnesota relays posted automatic qualifying times. Daryl Turner, Conner McHugh, Tuomas Pokkinen and Bowe Becker broke the program 400-yard medley relay record in 3:07.03 to earn bronze at the Big Ten Championships. Other relay team members traveling to Indianapolis are Paul Fair and Nick Saulnier.
In addition to relays, McHugh and Becker were invited to compete in individual events. McHugh, a junior, holds the Gophers' records in the 100 breaststroke (52.44) and 200 breaststroke (1:53.61). Becker holds the 100 freestyle record (42.24) and will also swim the 50 free (19.08) with automatic qualifying times in both.
Senior Eric Sande will join McHugh in the 100 breast. He notched Minnesota's second-best time in history at Big Tens in 52.52.
"Eric's a perfect example of somebody where confidence means everything," Kremer said. "Eric is the type of young man that he'll come up to you and tell you exactly what he's going to do and then he goes out and does it. He's such a confident racer. I'm really proud of him for making the meet and now I know he wants to have an impact on it."
Senior Jakub Maly holds the Minnesota record in the 400 individual medley and has a seed time of 3:44.41 this year. He was also part of the 800 free relay at Big Tens.
Three-time All-American Matt Barnard will return to compete in all three diving events as senior. He was seventh in 3-meter and ninth in platform last year. Sophomore Alan LeBlang makes his second NCAA Championships appearance and will compete in 3-meter and platform.
"The individual swims we have are quality swims," Kremer said. "We have a real chance to put some points on the board individually there. The same thing on the diving side. Look at the experience we have with Matt closing out his senior year. He's just an outstanding diver. I really hope to see him finish his career at Minnesota the way he wants to."
Minnesota has five seniors, a junior, two sophomores and two freshmen making the trip.
"With Jakub and Eric and Paul and Daryl, and Matt on the boards, that senior leadership means a ton," Kremer said. "They've meant a lot to us all year. They're one of the key reasons our team is in a better position this year than a year ago."
NCAA Selections and Seed Times
Bowe Becker
50 Free (19.08)
100 Free (42.24)
Jakub Maly
400 IM (3:44.41)
Conner McHugh
100 Breast (52.44)
200 Breast (1:53.61)
Eric Sande
100 Breast (52.52)
200 Free Relay (1:17.68: Becker, Fair, Turner, Pokkinen)
400 Free Relay (2:51.31: Becker, Fair, Turner, Pokkinen)
800 Free Relay (6:21.39: Fair, Maly, Pokkinen, Saulnier)
200 Medley Relay (1:24.53: Turner, McHugh, Fair, Becker)
400 Medley Relay (3:07.03: Turner, McHugh, Pokkinen, Becker)
Players Mentioned
Diving
/ Men's Swimming & Diving
Sprint Freestyle
/ Men's Swimming & Diving
Butterfly/Freestyle
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Diving
/ Men's Swimming & Diving
Breaststroke/IM
/ Men's Swimming & Diving
Breaststroke/IM
/ Men's Swimming & Diving
Butterfly
/ Men's Swimming & Diving
Breaststroke/Freestyle
/ Men's Swimming & Diving
Backstroke/Freestyle
/ Men's Swimming & Diving
Freestyle/Backstroke
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