Virginia Women Qualify 11 for NCAA Championships

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March 4, 2015

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va–The No. 8 Virginia women’s swimming and diving team qualified 11 student-athletes for individual events at the 2015 NCAA Championships, which will be held March 19-21 in Greensboro, N.C.

The Cavaliers will be represented by seniors Shaun Casey, Alison Haulsee and Ellen Williamson, juniors Courtney Bartholomew and Hanne Borgersen, sophomores Kaitlyn Jones, Laura Simon, Leah Smith and Ellen Thomas and freshmen Caitlin Cooper and Jennifer Marrkand.

UVa has qualified at least 10 student-athletes for the eighth-consecutive year and it is also the seventh-straight season that all five Virginia relays have qualified. The Cavaliers’ highest finish at the NCAA meet was seventh in 1988.

Haulsee and Williamson will be competing at the NCAA Championships for the fourth time in their careers. Williamson is a six-time All-American, including a sixth place finish in the 200 back at the 2012 national meet, while Haulsee is a two-time honorable mention All-American in the 200 fly (2012 and 2013).

Bartholomew, Borgersen and Casey will be making their third appearances at the national meet. Bartholomew earned All-America honors in both backstroke events last year, placing third in the 200 back and fifth in the 100 back. Borgersen earned All-America honors as part of the 800 free relay that finished fifth at the 2014 meet and took home honorable mention All-America honors with a 16th-place finish in the 1,650 free.

Jones, Simon, Smith and Thomas will all feature at the national meet for a second time. Smith placed third in the 1,650 free in 2014, earning All-America honors, and ninth in the 500 free for honorable mention honors. Jones and Simon took home honorable mention All-America honors last year in the 200 IM and 200 breast, respectively. Thomas was part of the 200 free relay that earned honorable mention All-America accolades.

Cooper and Marrkand will be making their NCAA Championship debuts.

The Cavaliers earned their eighth-consecutive ACC Championship Feb. 21 in Atlanta, the first team to win eighth straight titles. Virginia won three relays and six individual events at the conference meet.

A total of 281 swimmers from 63 different schools qualified for the national meet. Diving competitors will be determined at the NCAA Zone Diving Championships. The Cavalier divers will compete at the NCAA Zone A diving meet in Buffalo, N.Y., March 9-11.

Virginia’s NCAA Individual Qualifiers
Courtney Bartholomew, Jr. – Holland, Mich.
100 backstroke
200 backstroke
200 individual medley

Hanne Borgersen, Jr. – Frederick, Md.
500 freestyle
1,650 freestyle

Shaun Casey, Sr. – Port Orange, Fla.
200 individual medley
400 individual medley

Caitlin Cooper, Fr. – Atlanta, Ga.
50 freestyle

Alison Haulsee, Sr. – Glen Allen, Va.
500 freestyle

Kaitlyn Jones, So. – Newark, Del.
200 butterfly
200 individual medley
400 individual medley

Jennifer Marrkand, Fr. – Westford, Mass.
200 backstroke
200 butterfly

Laura Simon, So. – Simmern, Germany
100 breaststroke
200 breaststroke

Leah Smith, So. – Pittsburgh, Pa.
200 freestyle
500 freestyle
1,650 freestyle

Ellen Thomas, So. – Guildford, United Kingdom
50 freestyle
100 butterfly

Ellen Williamson, Sr. – Ft. Mitchell, Ky.
100 butterfly
200 butterfly
200 individual medley