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Kosic, van Duijn, Two Relays Set For NCAA Championship

March 26, 2014

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THE FLATS – Georgia Tech juniors Nico van Duijn and Andrew Kosic, along with two Tech relay teams, have earned berths in the NCAA Men’s Swimming & Diving Championship, which begins Thursday in Austin, Texas.

The qualification of van Duijn (200 fly, 100 fly, 50 free) and Kosic (100 free, 50 free, 100 fly) in individual events marks the second straight year a Tech men’s swimmer will compete in the NCAA Championship after Eric Chiu did so last season in the 100 fly.

Including Kosic and van Duijn, a total of 17 Yellow Jackets have qualified for 46 events all-time in the NCAA Championship. Kosic becomes the second Jacket to qualify in the 100 free (Noah Copeland in 2008 and 2009), while van Duijn is third Tech swimmer in the 200 fly (Tim Halligan in 1989 and Gal Nevo in 2010).

The 2014 NCAA Men’s Swimming & Diving Championship will be contested March 27-29 at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center in Austin, Texas with the University of Texas serving as the host.

“I’m so proud of Andrew and Nico and our two relay teams,” said head coach Courtney Shealy Hart. “This is the second straight year we’re sending multiple swimmers to the NCAA Championship, which obviously speaks to the great seasons those guys have had, but also indicates how our program as a whole continues to advance. Both Nico and Andrew are in positions to score, and relays always give you a chance to score points.”

van Duijn, a junior from Basserdorf, Switzerland, was clocked in a time of 1:43.00 in the 200 fly at the Yellow Jacket Championship Qualifier on March 8 in Atlanta, and the time was an NCAA A-cut, a school record, and the 14th-fastest in the NCAA this season. The junior also achived B-cuts this season in the 100 fly and 50 free, and will also swim those events in Austin.

Kosic, a junior from West Chester, Pa., became the first Yellow Jacket in school history to break the 43-second mark in the 100 free at the ACC Championship, which was good for an NCAA B-cut as the 23rd-fastest in the country this season (42.84). Kosic also holds B-cuts in the 50 free and 100 fly.

Thanks to van Duijn’s automatic qualification, two Yellow Jacket relays also clinched spots in the 2014 Championship – the 200 medley relay and the 800 free relay. Tech’s 800 free relay (6:23.68) achieved an NCAA A-cut during the ACC Championship, while the 200 medley relay (1:23.73) achieved its B-cut at the Yellow Jacket Championship qualifier.

Tech’s 200 medley relay in the NCAA Championship will be swum by freshman Taylor Wilson, sophomore Ricky Lehner, van Duijn and Kosic. The 800 free relay includes sophomore Mats Westergren, freshman Declan Poorman, van Duijn and Kosic.

Kosic and van Duijn represented the Jackets last season at the NCAA Championship, while this season marks the first career appearances for Wilson, Lehner, Westergren and Poorman.

NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships Schedule
Thursday, March 27
11 a.m. CT (prelims)
200 freestyle relay
500 freestyle
200 IM
50 freestyle
400 medley relay

7 p.m. CT (finals)
200 freestyle relay
500 freestyle
200 IM
50 freestyle
1-meter diving
400 medley relay

Friday, March 28
11 a.m. CT (prelims)
200 medley relay
400 IM
100 butterfly
200 freestyle
100 breaststroke
100 backstroke

7 p.m. CT (finals)
200 medley relay
400 IM
100 butterfly
200 freestyle
100 breaststroke
100 backstroke
3-meter diving
800 freestyle relay

Saturday, March 29
11 a.m. CT (prelims)
200 backstroke
100 freestyle
200 breaststroke
200 butterfly
400 freestyle relay

4:45 p.m. CT
1,650 freestyle (early heats)

7 p.m. CT (finals)
1,650 freestyle (last heat of timed finals)
200 backstroke
100 freestyle
200 breaststroke
200 butterfly
Platform diving
400 freestyle relay

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