Four Hurricanes Set to Compete in NCAA Championships

March 13, 2012

AUBURN, Ala. – The Hurricanes have arrived. University of Miami swimmers Sofia Johansson and Kelsi Hall, alongside divers Kara McCormack and Thea Vock, are set for competition at the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships beginning Thursday, March 15 and ending on Saturday, March 17.

The two Hurricane swimmers qualified for the biggest swimming event of the year by way of phenomenal accomplishments at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships.

Johansson set a new conference record with a breathtaking performance in the 100-yard breaststroke (59.81) at the Christianburg Aquatic Center in Blacksburg, Va on Feb. 18. The Ramlosa, Sweden native became the first female in conference history to ever swim the event in less than one minute flat, punching her ticket to Alabama with the stunning performance.

Kelsi Hall, one of the most decorated swimmers in Hurricanes history, added to her list of accomplishments with another exhilarating performance in the 50-yard freestyle. Hall finished the event in a personal-best 22.03 seconds, best Virginia’s second-place finisher Lauren Perdue who won the event in 2010.

Divers McCormack and Vock continued a long line of qualifiers under diving head coach Randy Ableman. McCormack wrapped up her conference competition with a fourth-place finish in the three-meter event and an eighth-place finish in the one-meter, the best on the team. McCormack was right behind Vock, taking a fifth-place finish in the 3 M.

Hall will be swimming in 50-free trials on Thursday afternoon, with hopes of qualifying for the final event later that night. Johansson’s big day comes Friday, as she has trial runs in the afternoon before hopefully competing in the 100-yard breaststroke on Friday night. As for McCormack and Vock, one-meter trials/finals will be held on  Thursday, while the three-meter event will take place in its entirety on Friday.

For more from the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, click HERE.