Top 10 Finish Within Distance As Spartans Head To Final Day At NCAA Championships

CANTON, Ohio - The University of Tampa men's and women's swimming teams both solidified their standing at the 2010 NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships on day three. The Spartan women moved up to 10th overall as the men took the 11th spot.

Ellie Eshleman became an All-American with an eighth place finish in the 100 Back. The junior from Sterling, Ill., finished the race with a time of 57.15.

UT swam to a sixth place finish in the women's 800 Free Relay with a final time of 7:35.09. Jessie Bardin, Hannah Hudson, Stephanie Branham and Kristine Kassl each participated in the race.

Tampa's men also placed sixth in the 800 Free Relay as the team of Jeff Fiore, Chris O'Linger, Frank Kuchta and Tyler Furrer finished in 6:43.95.

Through three days, 11 Spartans have achieved All-American status. Fiore, Furrer, Kuchta, O'Linger and Roman Sereda make up Tampa's men on the list. Bardin, Branham, Eshleman, Hudson, Kassl and Emilee Margiotta have represent UT's women on the list.

Heading into the final day, Drury University leads both the men's and women's team rankings with 401 and 473 points respectively.

The Spartans will conclude the 2009-10 season on Saturday at the NCAA Championships as there will be 11 preliminary and finals events on the slate.

Click here for the official championships web page

Fans may also follow UT swimmer Michael Verdi's blog through http://gospartans.wordpress.com/.

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