INDIANAPOLIS – Nine UIndy student-athletes will be heading to the upcoming 2016 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships, held in downtown Indianapolis next month. Eight men's swimmers will all race in the national meet Mar. 9-12, while men's diver Dalton Cline will compete in the pre-qualifying events Mar. 8.
 
The swimmers making the short trip downtown will include Rodrigo Codo Berti, Marius Bornkessel, Vitor Botana, Bucky Coonradt, Demetrakis Haholiades, Romano Hoffmann, Patrick Kays, and Bartosz Zarzecki.
 
While Berti and Botana combined for seven invited "B" cut standards individually, the Greyhounds used the strength of its 200 medley relay performance to boost their total number of competitors.
 
"This is the direction we wanted to move this team this year," said rookie head coach Jason Hite. "We knew if we could get a relay invited to Nationals, it would be a way to get other guys the chance to swim on the national stage."
 
Berti, Bornkessell, Coonradt and Zarzecki put up a season-best time of 1:28.70 in the 200 medley realy at the GLVC Championships, good for the eighth-fastest time in Division II this season. The result not only allows the foursome to vie for a national championship, but also enters Berti (200 free), Bornkessel (50, 100 & 200 free) and Zarzecki (100 & 200 breast) in individual races in which they posted "B" cut times.
 
"For a senior captain like Marius who has done a lot for this team over his four years, it's the perfect way to finish off his swimming career. As for Bart, he was brought here to be the breaststroke piece of the relays, and he's done a great job. He was just below the cut line in his events, so making the relay allows him to swim those individuals.
 
"And for Bucky (who will only compete in the relay), it gives him a taste of the big dance. He will use it to motivate himself to make the meet on his own next year."
 
In addition, the Hounds were able to bring three relay-only swimmers in Haholiades, Hoffmann and Kays. Their inclusion was possible due to the invitation to the 200 MR combined with "B" cut times posted by the trio themselves. Hite feels the opportunity to experience Nationals this season will only help to increase their chances of qualifying on their own merits in the future.
 
Individually, rookies Berti and Botana are seeded 11th or better in a combined seven events. Hite will look to them to score significant points for the Hounds.
 
"Our freshman guys are leading the way for us," Hite noted. "Rodrigo has potential to have some top-eight finishes and score some serious points, and Vitor is in the same boat. He's ranked in the top 12 in three events and has the chance to score major points for the team."
 
Meanwhile, newly-crowned GLVC Diver of the Year Dalton Cline, also just a freshman, earned a spot in the pre-quals on both the 1- and 3-meter boards.
 
"Dalton has developed into a powerful diver for us," commented Hite. (Diving Coach) Dave (McKown) has brought our divers so far this year, and I'm excited to see what Dalton can do against the rest of the DII diving field.
 
"The Hounds are on the move, and getting these nine guys a chance at Nationals is the first step to getting to where we want to be."
 
The 2016 NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships will be held at the IU Natatorium in downtown Indy. Click here more information on the meet.