Virginia Women Qualify 12 for NCAA Championships

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia women’s swimming team qualified 12 student-athletes for the 2012 NCAA Championships, set for March 15-17 in Auburn, Ala.

Senior Kelly Flynn, juniors Meredith Cavalier and Lauren Perdue, sophomores Charlotte Clarke, Caroline Kenney, Emily Lloyd and Rachel Naurath and freshmen Megan Fox, Alison Haulsee, Sarah White and Ellen Williamson have each been selected to participate in the NCAA Championships.

“We are pleased to bring such a young and promising group of student-athletes to the NCAA Championships,” Virginia head coach Mark Bernardino said. “For the vast majority, it’s their first exposure to the NCAA championship meet. It certainly bodes well for our long-term future.”

For the fourth consecutive year, all five Virginia relays also qualified for the NCAA Championships.

“In addition to this group being as young as they are, we will have the opportunity to compete in virtually every event in the meet,” Bernardino continued. “All of our relays will have the chance to race and each of our athletes will have two or three individual events. Much like we did four years ago with a young team, we are going to use this meet to springboard our athletes into the next few years of their swimming careers.”

Both Flynn and Cavalier have the most national meet experience, appearing for the third career time. Lloyd and Naruath return for the second time after making their NCAA debuts as freshmen. Meanwhile, seven Cavaliers will compete for the first time at the national championships: Clarke, Dicus, Fox, Haulsee, Kenney, White and Williamson. Perdue’s status for the NCAA Championships will be determined following a medical procedure scheduled for this weekend.

It marks the fifth consecutive year Virginia has qualified at least 10 student-athletes into the meet. The Cavaliers were represented by 10 swimmers in 2008 (finished 20th); 12 in 2009 (12th); a school-record 16 swimmers in 2010 (ninth) and 11 swimmers in 2011 (13th).

The highest finish in school history for UVa was a seventh-place showing.

Virginia’s 2012 NCAA Qualifiers
Meredith Cavalier, Jr.
100 backstroke
200 backstroke
400 freestyle relay

Charlotte Clarke, So.
100 backstroke
200 backstroke

Emily Dicus, Fr.
800 freestyle relay

Kelly Flynn, Sr.
400 freestyle relay

Megan Fox, R-Fr.
400 individual medley
200 butterfly

Alison Haulsee, Fr.
200 butterfly

Caroline Kenney, So.
200 backstroke
800 freestyle relay

Emily Lloyd, So.
400 freestyle relay

Rachel Naurath, So.
500 freestyle
200 freestyle
800 freestyle relay

Lauren Perdue, Jr.
50 freestyle
100 freestyle
400 freestyle relay
800 freestyle relay

Sarah White, Fr.
200 individual medley
200 butterfly

Ellen Williamson, Fr.
200 individual medley
100 butterfly
200 backstroke