UT Set To Compete In NCAA II Swimming Championships

HOUSTON, Texas - The University of Tampa men's and women's swimming teams will each compete in the 2009 NCAA Division II Championships, which is scheduled to begin on Wednesday in Houston.

The UT men, ranked No. 12 in the nation, will join the No. 13 Spartan women in a number of events. A total of 27 UT swimmers have advanced with qualifying times to the championships, which includes a total of 10 relay teams.

On the women's side, Jessie Bardin qualified in seven events to lead the Spartans while Megan Garland will participate in six. Lindsay Calimer, Ellie Eschleman, Hannah Hudson and Allison Vetter will all be in five races while Jennifer Jenkins, Kelsey Lubbers and Kim Tench qualified in four.

In men's action, senior Alex Hetland will appear in nine events to lead all UT swimmers. Chris O'Linger will compete in seven as Matt Kramer and Hunter Lineback will each be in six races. Patrick Murray and Michael Verdi were invited to five events while Tyler Furrer and Frank Kuchta qualified in four.

The championships, which will begin on Wednesday, are scheduled to conclude on Saturday. UT is looking to add to its count of individual national championships, which currently stands at 26.