After earning a second-place finish in the Big Ten Championships in Minneapolis, Minn., the IU men's swim team learned Tuesday that nine swimmers will be returning to frigid Minneapolis for the NCAA Championships March 24-27.
Sophomore Eric Ress will participate in the 200-yard IM, the 400-yard medley relay, 100 and 200-yard backstroke and 800-yard freestyle relay. Freshman Cody Miller, who was a standout at the Big Ten Championships, qualified for the 400-yard medley relay and 100 and 200-yard breaststroke.
Freshman James Wells and senior Ante Zoricic will also participate in the 400-yard medley relay. Sophomore Jim Barbiere, senior Titus Knight and junior Cody Weik will join Ress in the 800-yard freestyle relay. Junior Ryan Hinshaw qualified for the 500-yard freestyle and senior Illya Larin will race in the 1,650-yard freestyle. Knight, who will be traveling to his first NCAA Championship, has heard quite a bit about what the meet should be like.
"From what I've heard - from all the hype - it's a meet that's faster than the Olympics," Knight said. "Now, not having been there before and just going off what other people have said, I'm pretty excited (and) pretty pumped. I wouldn't say nervous at this point. I'm sure as the meet gets closer, I'll probably get a little more nervous, but I'm just going to try and approach it like I did Big Tens: just go in there and make a statement"
