A Bevy of NYU Men's Swimmers Set for NCAA Championships
03/17/08
Eight members of the New York University men’s swimming & diving team will head to Oxford, OH, for the NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships. The competition will run from March 20-22 and will be hosted by Miami University.
Last season, the Violets sent six members to the Championships, five of whom earned All-American status, while the group set eight team records.
All five swimmers who earned All-American honors just a year ago will be returning to the Championships this season to compete for the Violets.
Senior co-captain Brad Thornton will be competing in the 100 breaststroke as well as the 200 IM. This will mark the third straight appearance at the NCAA’s for the nine-time All-American swimmer.
Thornton is one of four Violet seniors who will be headed to Ohio. That group includes two-time All-American Chris Wolff, Shaun Keating and co-captain Matt Ferreria, who will all be competing in the relays.
Junior sprinter Andrew Lardiere will be swimming in three individual events for the Violets: the 100 freestyle, the 200 free and the 50 free. Lardiere is fresh off a record-setting performance at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships, where he won a combined seven titles, set individual records in the 50 free (20.64) and 100 free (45.54), and was a member of three record-setting relays: 200 free (1:22.86), 200 medley (1:32.98), and 400 medley (3:26.59).
Juniors Paul Hogan (200 free, 500 free, 1,650 free) and Eric Wang (200 butterfly, 200 IM, 400 IM) will also be competing in individual events, while sophomore Eric Pcholinski will be another relay competitor for NYU. All three swimmers have earned All-America accolades in seasons past.
NYU will be fielding five relay teams at the Championships. Last season, the 400 free relay (fifth, 3:03.11) and 800 free relay (eighth, 6:51.07) earned All-American status. Lardiere, Pcholinski and Thornton each swam a leg on both relays, while Wolff (400) and Hogan (800) also contributed.
As a whole, the Violets, led by veteran head coach Bob Sorensen, will look to improve upon last season’s 15th-place national finish, the highest in program history.
“Finishing 15th place at last year’s NCAA’s was terrific, but our goal this season is to finish in the top-10,” Sorensen said.
Results of the NCAA Championships will be accessible at the link below: