ROLLA, Mo. – Missouri S&T's swimming team will have a total of 10 competitors heading to Indianapolis to compete at the NCAA Division II Championships beginning on March 13. The Miners will have seven competing in individual events as well as three others who will swim only in the relays.
The contingent that will be representing Missouri S&T is headed by two-time defending national champion
Tim Samuelsen (Stavanger, Norway/St. Svithun VGS), who will seek to defend his titles in the 1,000- and 1,650-yard freestyle. Samuelsen – who is also slated to take part in the 500-yard freestyle – enters the meet ranked second in the 1,650 behind Adam Rosipal from the University of Indianapolis, while his best time in the 1,000 is 21
st.
Aaron Taske (Fairfield, OH/Saint Xavier) is also slated to compete in the two distance freestyle races among the four individual events he has qualified for. Taske has the seventh-best performance in the 1,650-freestyle and 10
th-best mark in the 1,000 this season, while also owning the eighth-fastest time in the 200-yard butterfly. He will also compete in the 100-butterfly and in both medley relays at the meet.
The Miners will have a trio of spring freestyle competitors at the meet in
Chris Betts (Katy, TX/Cinco Ranch),
Morgan Meyer (Ruston, LA/Ruston) and
Marco Flores (San Pedro Sula, Honduras/SERAN Private Bilingual School), with Betts going in the 50- and 100-freestyle, Meyer in the 100- and 200-free and Flores in the 50-free. Betts has the fourth-fastest time in the nation in the 50-yard freestyle, while Meyer ranks seventh in the 200-freestyle and among the top 16 in the 100-free.
Flores will also compete in the 100-yard breaststroke, the event in which he won the Great Lakes Valley Conference championship and where he has the seventh-best time in Division II this season. He will be joined by Josh Umrysh, the 12
th-ranked competitor in that event.
Missouri S&T's seventh individual competitor is
Andy Huffman (Lee's Summit, MO/Lee's Summit), the GLVC's "Freshman of the Year" who has qualified in four events, including both individual medley events and the 200-yard breaststroke that he captured conference titles in. Huffman, whose highest ranking entering the meet is ninth in the 200-breaststroke, is also slated to compete in the 200-yard butterfly along with Taske.
The Miners' three competitors in the relays are
Kevin McPherson (Oakdale, MN/Tartan), who is making his fourth national appearance and will swim in all three freestyle relays;
Ethan Shih (Papillion, NE/Papillion-LaVista), who is making his third national trip and will be in both medley relays as well as the 800-yard freestyle relay; and
Colten Becker (Overland Park, KS/Blue Valley Northwest), who qualified as part of the 800-yard freestyle relay team.
S&T will compete in all five relays at the national meet, with its 200-yard freestyle relay currently ranked third overall, the 400-yard medley relay team in fourth heading into the meet and two others among the top eight as the 800-freestyle group is seventh and the 200-medley relay is ranked eighth.
The NCAA Division II Championships will take place at the Indiana University Natatorium on the IUPUI campus.
Competition schedule for Missouri S&T's NCAA Division II qualifiers:
Wednesday, March 13
200-yard individual medley (
Andy Huffman (Lee's Summit, MO/Lee's Summit))
50-yard freestyle (
Chris Betts (Katy, TX/Cinco Ranch),
Marco Flores (San Pedro Sula, Honduras/SERAN Private Bilingual School))
200-yard medley relay (
Ethan Shih (Papillion, NE/Papillion-LaVista), Betts, Josh Umrysh,
Aaron Taske (Fairfield, OH/Saint Xavier))
1,000-yard freestyle (
Tim Samuelsen (Stavanger, Norway/St. Svithun VGS), Taske)
Thursday, March 14
200-yard freestyle relay (
Kevin McPherson (Oakdale, MN/Tartan), Betts, Flores,
Morgan Meyer (Ruston, LA/Ruston))
400-yard individual medley (Huffman)
100-yard butterfly (Taske)
200-yard freestyle (Meyer)
400-yard medley relay (
Ethan Shih (Papillion, NE/Papillion-LaVista), Meyer, Josh Umrysh,
Aaron Taske (Fairfield, OH/Saint Xavier))
Friday, March 15
500-yard freestyle (Samuelsen)
100-yard breaststroke (Flores, Umrysh)
200-yard butterfly (Huffman, Taske)
800-yard freestyle relay (McPherson, Shih, Meyer,
Colten Becker (Overland Park, KS/Blue Valley Northwest))
Saturday, March 16
100-yard freestyle (Betts, Meyer)
200-yard breaststroke (Huffman)
1,650-yard freestyle (Samuelsen, Taske)
400-yard freestyle relay (McPherson, Betts, Flores, Meyer)
