Virginia Swimmers Earn Honorable Mention All-America Honors In Three Events At Men's NCAA Championships
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March 25, 2004
EAST MEADOW, N.Y. – University of Virginia second-year Fran Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa./Germantown Academy) and fourth-year Ian Prichard (Ventura, Calif./Buena) garnered honorable mention All-America accolades in the 400-meter freestyle Thursday (March 25) at the 2004 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships which are being held at the Nassau County Aquatics Center. Virginia concluded the first day of competition by winning the consolation final of the 400-meter medley relay to capture honorable mention All-America honors.
After six events, the UVa has scored 29 points and stands in 13th place. Auburn leads the NCAA Championships with 211 points, while Stanford is a distant second with 113 points. Texas and Arizona are tied for third with 110 points and Florida rounds out the top five with 77 points.
Virginia concluded the first day of competition on a high note as it won the consolation final of the 400-meter medley relay with a time of 3:34.61 to capture honorable mention All-America honors. Fourth-year Luke Wagner (Englewood, Colo./Regis Jesuit), third-year Michael Raab (Rockville, Md./Walter Johnson), first-year Vanja Rogulj (Zagreb, Croatia/Split), and fourth-year Adam Kerpelman (Lutherville, Md./St. Paul’s School) each swam legs on the relay that finished in ninth place overall. UVa, who was seeded 14th entering the NCAA’s, was also ninth after the prelims with a time of 3:35.04.
Crippen, who was 10th in the prelims, finished second in the consolation finals and 10th overall in the 400-meter freestyle with a time of 3:45.17, while Prichard placed 13th in 3:47.08. Both swimmers earned honorable mention All-America accolades. Crippen’s time was the fifth fastest of the evening session. In the prelims, Crippen clocked a time of 3:46.19, while Prichard touched in 3:46.89.
The Cavaliers also had several swimmers compete in the morning prelims who did not advance to the evening session. The foursome of Kerpelman, Wagner, Rogulj, and Raab finished 18th in the 200-meter freestyle relay with a time of 1:31.29.
In addition to Crippen and Prichard, UVa had two other swimmers compete in the prelims of the 400-meter freestyle. First-years John Millen (Lilburn, Ga./Parkview) and Stefan Hirniak (Highland Park, N.J./Princeton Day) touched in 3:49.03 and 3:50.58 to finish 19th and 28th, respectively.
In the 200-meter individual medley, second-year Bo Greenwood (Manakin, Va./Goochland) placed 27th with a time of 2:00.90. Kerpelman swam in the 50-meter freestyle and finished 44th with a time of 22.81.
The second of three preliminary sessions for the 2004 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships begins Friday at noon. Friday’s finals events begin at 7:00 p.m.