Marsh Qualifies for Second NCAA Championships
March 09, 2016 05:30 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Senior Andrew Marsh of the West Virginia University men’s swimming team qualified for the 2016 NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships for the second-consecutive year.
Marsh met the NCAA qualifying time standards in three events to earn a spot at the NCAA Championships, from March 23-26 in Atlanta, Georgia. He is seeded No. 6 nationally among 54 invited swimmers in the 100 backstroke and he is seeded 19th in the 100 freestyle and No. 64 in the 50 freestyle.
“The staff and I are very happy for Andrew, and his invitation to NCAAs is well deserved,” WVU coach Vic Riggs said. “This is his second trip to NCAAs, which is a tremendous accomplishment for him, and he’s only the second member of our men’s team to make it in back-to-back years since our staff arrived at WVU. One of our goals as a team is to get an individual to NCAAs and with Andrew’s invitation this will be the third year in a row that we have done that.
“Andrew has put himself in a great position with an A-qualifying time and a top-six seeding in the 100 backstroke. (Associate coach Damion Dennis) has done a wonderful job with Andrew’s progression in training, focus and competition goals over his career, which has given Andrew a great sense about his capabilities at NCAAs. I look forward to seeing him race at the national level again this year.”
At the 2016 Big 12 Championship, Marsh won a Big 12 title in the men’s 100 backstroke, setting a Big 12 and WVU record with a 45.41, which earned him his NCAA qualifying and career-best time. Marsh also won five silver medals and a bronze at the conference championship. The Bemus Point, New York, native added a school record in the 100 butterfly.
“You can see how Andrew is more prepared now than he’s ever been,” said Dennis. “Having that experience from last year at NCAAs has allowed him to be more comfortable in his preparation for this year’s championships. He knows that feeling already, and I think he can be one of the best backstrokers in the country.”
In addition to his record-setting performances, Marsh was named the Big 12 Swimmer of the Week twice in 2015-16.
The first day of NCAA Championships competition will begin on Wednesday, March 23 starting with the 800 freestyle relay at 6 p.m.
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