March 5, 2006

Ten student-athletes from the Wayne State swimming and diving team are heading to the NCAA Division II Championships in Indianapolis, Ind. The competition runs from March 8-11.

Five-time GLIAC Men's Coach of the Year Sean Peters is making his eighth trip to nationals in nine seasons at the WSU helm. Last season, the Warrior men's squad tallied 153 points, their highest score in school history, and placed eighth to finish among the top 10 in the nation for the first time since 1981. Wayne State's best national finish was seventh place in 1980.

The Warriors have qualified for a total of 27 individual events. Junior Jared Troyer is eligible for a team-high five events in his second trip to nationals, while freshman Guilherme Veiga qualified for four events.

Here is a day-by-day preview of the week's events:

Wednesday

A.J. Erard and Mathias Isaksson will participate in the 200 individual medley, as both Warriors earned "B" qualifiers at the GLIAC Championships on Feb. 9. Erard's GLIAC title-winning time of 1:53.51 set a new varsity record and ranks 11th in the nation. Isaksson qualified with a time of 1:54.99 and ranks 21st.

Tim Giblin will swim the 50 free, having qualified at the recent Indiana Second Chance meet on Feb. 26 in a time of 21.40.

The Warrior 200 medley relay team of Luiz Pacheco, Isaksson, Bruno Blanco, and Giblin also qualified in Indiana, setting a school record with a time of 1:32.99. They are eighth in the nation, separated from the top-ranked University of Tampa by .91 seconds.

Wayne State will have a strong presence in the 1000 free with four Warriors in the event. Veiga ranks second in the nation with a time of 9:26.27, followed by Nick Ingrao, who won the event at GLIACs in a meet-record time of 9:26.69. Nick Markou (9:35.75) comes in with the seventh-fastest time in the country, and Troyer (9:38.54) is ranked 13th.

Sophomore diver Erika Barczak, the lone representative of the WSU women's squad, will make her second consecutive appearance at nationals. She will compete in the 3-meter diving trials, an event she qualified for on Jan. 13 against Grand Valley with a six-dive score of 268.05.

Thursday

NCAA "A" qualifiers Erard (4:02.30) and Troyer (4:03.52), who went one-two at GLIACs, will swim in the 400 individual medley on Thursday. Their times rank seventh and 10th, respectively, in the nation. Veiga (4:11.36) is also qualified for the event.

Blanco won the 100 fly at GLIACs with a meet-record time of 50.07, but his best time of the season (49.60) came at the Eastern Michigan Invitational on Dec. 3. He is ranked third and will be the lone Warrior in the event at nationals.

Friday

The 500 free will have four Warriors participating, with Veiga (4:36.08), Markou (4:38.72), Ingrao (4:39.09), and Troyer (4:39.90) all earning "B" qualifiers for the event. Veiga's 12th-ranked time came on Dec. 3 at the EMU Invitational, while his three teammates earned their spots at GLIACs, with Troyer's coming in the first 500 yards of the 1650 free.

The 100 back and 100 breast events will each have one Wayne State swimmer participating. Pacheco qualified for the 100 back at the Indiana Second Chance meet with a time of 52.55. Isaksson will swim the 100 breast, having earned his spot at the EMU Invitational (58.32).

Blanco set a WSU varsity record at the EMU Invitational with a 200 fly time of 1:51.61, which currently stands as the seventh-best time in the nation. His classmate Troyer earned a "B" cut at GLIACs in a time of 1:53.71.

Barczak will dive in the women's one-meter competition, having qualified back on Nov. 4 in a meet against Findlay.

Saturday

Isaksson and Erard will each swim in their third individual event at nationals on Saturday. Isaksson swam the 200 breast in 2:06.09 at the EMU Invitational, while Erard turned in a time of 2:09.01 at GLIACs.

One of Wayne State's strongest events, the 1650 free, takes place on the final day. Veiga (15:42.85), Markou (15:54.05), and Ingrao (15:54.36) each earned their NCAA "A" qualifiers at the EMU Invitational and rank in the top 10 at nationals, while Troyer's "B" cut time of 16:02.85 ranks 11th. Veiga, Ingrao, and Troyer took the top three places in the 1650 free at the GLIAC Championships.