Ten Virginia Men To Swim At NCAA Championships
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March 23, 2005
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The 10th-ranked Virginia men’s swimming and diving team has qualified 10 swimmers to compete in the 2005 Men’s NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships in Minneapolis, Minn. The meet will be held at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center, Thursday March 24 through Saturday, March 26. The Cavalier men are looking to improve upon their 13th-place performance in 2004. UVa has registered six consecutive top-15 finishes at the NCAA Championship, including a program-best 10th-place showing in 2003.
Virginia, the seven-time defending ACC champion, has entrants in 12 of 13 individual swimming events and is also competing in all five relays. The Cavaliers have multiple entrants in six events. UVa has three entrants in the 200 and 500 freestyles and the 400 individual medley. Virginia has two swimmers competing in the 1650 free, 200 individual medley, 200 butterfly and 200 breaststroke. Listed below is an entire breakdown of Virginia’s event entrants.
Fourth-year Luke Anderson (Charlottesville, Va./Bolles School) – 50 free, 100 free, 200 free
Third-year Fran Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa./Germantown Academy) – 1650 free, 500 free, 400 I.M.
Fourth-year Bo Greenwood (Manakin, Va./Goochland) – 400 I.M., 200 I.M., 200 back
Second-year Stefan Hirniak (Highland Park, N.J./Princeton Day) -500 free, 200 free, 200 fly
First-year Ryan Hurley (Potomac, Md./Georgetown Prep) – 200 breast
First-year Pat Mellors (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) – 200 I.M., 400 I.M.
Second-year John Millen (Lilburn, Ga./Parkview) – 1650 free, 500 free, 200 free
Fourth-year Michael Raab (Rockville, Md./Walter Johnson) – 100 fly, 200 fly
Second-year Vanja Rogulj (Zagreb, Croatia/Split) – 100 breast, 200 breast
First-year Bryan Stahl (Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands) – Relays
Four Virginia swimmers are seeded in the top 10 in a total of five events. Rogulj is seeded fourth in the 100 breaststroke and seventh in the 200 breast. Raab is the eighth seed in the 200 butterfly, while Mellors is seeded ninth in the 400 individual medley. Crippen is seeded 11th in both the 500 free and 400 individual medley. Virginia is also seeded in two relays as its 400 medley relay is 11th and the Cavaliers’ 800 free relay is 12th
Raab earned first-team All-America accolades at the 2004 NCAA Championships with his fifth-place performance in the 200 butterfly. He was also an honorable mention All-American as a member of the Cavaliers’ ninth place 400 medley relay. Crippen, Greenwood, Hirniak, Millen and Rogulj, all captured honorable mention All-America accolades last year. Crippen was a four-time All-American, earning the honors in the 1500 free (ninth), 400 free (10th), 400 I.M. (11th) and 800 free relay (15th). Greenwood was 10th in the 400 I.M. for his All-America certificate, while Hirniak was a member of UVa’s 800 free relay. Millen was 14th in the 1500 free and Rogulj was a three-time All-American in the 100 and 200 breast and 400 medley relay. He was 10th in the 200 breast and 14th in the 100 breaststroke.