Seven members of the Seattle University swim program are in Missouri ready for the start of the 2008 NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships, to take place Wednesday, March 12, through Saturday, March 15, at the Mizzou Aquatic Center.
The men's team is looking to improve on its ninth-place finish from a year ago, with some of the swimmers among the top seeds in several events entering the competition. The 400 medley relay team of Bryson Chiu (Carmel, Ind.), Jakub Jiracek (Nymburk, Czech Republic), Chris Coley (Austin, Texas), and Gordon Smith (Kennewick, Wash.) is the top seed in that event after posting a time of 3:22.83 at the PCSC Championships last month. In the 200 medley relay, the quartet of Chiu, Doug Djang (Seattle, Wash.), Coley, and Bryant Bevers (Federal Way, Wash.) is seeded sixth with a time of 1:32.82 from the Husky Invitational last November.
Individually, Jiracek is the top seed in the 200 breaststroke after posting a time of 2:01.50 at the PCSC Championships, with Djang seeded 14th (2:06.53) and Chiu 16th (2:07.04) in the same event. Djang is seeded fifth in the 100 breaststroke with his Husky Invitational time of 56.63 seconds, while Jiracek is seeded eighth after earning a time of 56.70 seconds at the conference meet. In the individual medley events, Jiracek is seeded fourth in the 200 IM with a time of 1:52.52 and 11th in the 400 IM with a time of 4:03.38.
Coley, the 2006 national champion in the 100 butterfly, is seeded third in that event this year after posting a time of 49.74 seconds last month in Long Beach. He is also seeded fourth in the 200 butterfly with a time of 1:51.03. Smith is seeded 13th in the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:35.19 and 21st in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:41.52, both achieved at the Husky Invitational in Federal Way.
Francesca Reale (Gig Harbor, Wash.), the lone Seattle University woman at this year's national meet, is seeded tenth in the 100 backstroke after posting a time of 57.52 seconds at the PCSC Championships. She is scheduled to compete on Friday in event 23 of the meet.
The 2008 NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships begin Wednesday with nine events, including the men's 200 medley relay, men's 200 individual medley, and men's 50 freestyle, all expected to involve Seattle University competitors. Updates will be provided on GoSeattleU.com.