Algee Qualifies for 2016 NCAA Swimming Championships
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Junior swimmer Angela Algee was officially announced as an NCAA Championships qualifier Wednesday, and will travel to Atlanta to compete in the 2016 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships from March 16-19.
Algee is the first Hurricane swimmer to qualify for the NCAA Championships since 2013, and the first since head coach Andy Kershaw became head coach at the University of Miami prior to the 2013-14 season.
With an NCAA “B” cut time of 52.51 seconds in the 100 yard butterfly in the finals of the 2016 ACC Swimming & Diving Championships, Algee qualified for NCAA Championships consideration.
Her time ended up being the 28th-fastest entry nationwide, earning her the first trip to the NCAA Championships for a Miami swimmer since the trio of Kelsi Hall, Sofia Johansson and Lucy Worrall did so in 2013.
“I’m very excited, but as hard as I’ve worked for this, it’s been a team effort,” Algee said. “I’m really proud of this program – from where it was as a freshman to where it is now, it’s now a great step for everybody on the team. The support from our team has gotten me here in the first place.”
Kershaw said he is especially proud of Algee, who regained her passion for swimming during her time with the Hurricanes and is the first NCAA qualifier under his guidance.
“To have seen where she’s come and know a little bit about her history – from what she’s told me, she was a very good swimmer at a young age, but lost a little bit of the passion towards the end of high school – she has certainly regained it,” Kershaw said. “She is excelling at the highest level. To see her hard work payoff is great.”
The determination from Algee, Kershaw said, began after last season’s ACC Championships; she has since earned the right to trial for a chance to represent Team USA at the 2016 Olympics.
“It’s always a great call to get, especially when you know how hard she has worked,” Kershaw said.
Algee, who credited the University of Miami and Kershaw with helping her re-find her love for swimming, will also be competing in the 50 freestyle and 200 fly at the McAuley Aquatic Center.
“I owe a lot of that to Andy and my teammates. My love for the sport is why I am accomplishing more than I ever thought I could,” Algee said. “It really feels good to love what I’m doing, to want to keep competing and getting back in the pool. I’ve never had this much love for the sport.”
Algee was Miami’s top point-getter throughout the 2015-16 season, and was a big reason the Hurricanes won seven dual meets across the year.
“It was certainly a great moment, and we’re very proud of her and of the whole team,” Kershaw said. “I think it’s definitely a mark of the team and I know that she wouldn’t have done it without her teammates. We’re excited on that end.”
Algee said she has dreamed of representing the Hurricanes, and wearing the U on her cap, at the NCAA Championships.
But even more than that, she is already looking forward to sharing the moment with her teammates in the future.
“I can’t wait for next year’s NCAA Championships, to have more of my teammates with me,” Algee said. “I’m really excited about myself but also my team. It’s an honor to be representing the University of Miami.”
Kershaw said while Algee has reached one goal, she still has more to achieve.
“I don’t think she’s done. I think she can still improve,” Kershaw said. “We had a goal of making NCAA Championships, and we’ve accomplisehd that. We also have a goal of scoring at the NCAA Championships, and now we’re on to that.”
Swimmers qualified for the championships by meeting the established minimum time for the events in which they entered. Divers will be determined by performances at the Zone Diving Meets held March 7-12. The complete list of all swimmers competing in the championships is available at www.usaswimming.org/ncaa. Selected divers will be announced Sunday, March 13.
ESPN3.com will stream finals sessions on Friday and Saturday live. Wednesday’s evening session, Thursday’s sessions, along with the morning sessions on Friday and Saturday, will be streamed live on NCAA.com. Additionally, ESPNU will air a two-hour broadcast via tape delay at 7 p.m. ET, Tuesday, March 29. Live results for the championships will be available on NCAA.com.
