Courtesy of UR Athletics
UR will be well represented this year at the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving National Championships, as four swimmers and one diver will make the trip to Shenandoah, Texas on March 18.
UR’s women’s 200-meter freestyle relay team was selected thanks to their school-record time in the event during the University Athletic Association (UAA) championships last month. The team is made up of senior Lauren Bailey, junior Vicky Luan and sophomores Emily Simon and Khamai Simpson, all of whom also competed in NCAA Nationals last year in the same event, earning honorable mentions for their performance.
Sophomore diver Danielle Neu will also be making her second appearance at Nationals, qualifying after placing fifth in the three-meter and eighth in the one-meter events at the NCAA Regional Championships on Friday, Feb. 27 and Saturday, Feb. 28 at SUNY Geneseo. Neu will return to Nationals after earning an All-American honorable mention a year ago.
In addition to qualifying for Nationals, Neu was also named Liberty League Athlete of the Week for her performance at Geneseo.
Nationals will mark the end of Bailey’s illustrious career as a swimmer at UR. The senior earned four All-American Honorable Mentions last year, in addition to being named Liberty League Athlete of the Week six times. She was also a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-American, and was a member of the UAA and Liberty League All-Academic teams.
UR’s past experience at Nationals should undoubtedly help them this year, as all five competitors will have a better idea of what to expect from the event. Additionally, with the competition still two weeks away, the ‘Jackets will have ample time to make their final preparations to put themselves in the best position to perform well.
While racing against the nation’s best is tough, no matter how you look at it, there is plenty of reason for optimism as UR’s best head to Texas for the culmination of their season.
Shapiro is a member of the class of 2016.
