March 8, 2007

MINNEAPOLIS - For the first time in four years, the Missouri men's swimming & diving team will have a swimmer compete in the NCAA Championships.

Junior Bennett Clark has been selected to compete in the 100 freestyle with a seed time of 43.98, which is the 22nd-fastest out of the 64 entries. He will also swim in the 50 free on the first day of the meet, Thursday, March 15. The 100 race will be contested on Saturday, March 17.

"Bennett has had a good summer and has been outstanding all year long," said Mizzou Head Coach Brian Hoffer. "He is one of the top-25 guys in the country and has come a long way in the last two-and-a-half years."

Clark becomes the first sprint-freestyler from Mizzou to participate in the NCAAs in more than a decade. The last Tiger to swim wither sprints was Roger Alvarenga in 1995. The last time MU had a swimmer qualify for the championships was four years ago when Matt Ferrarelli swam in the 200 and 400 IM.

Last weekend, Missouri divers David Boyko and Greg DeStephen qualified for the championships as a result of their finishes at the NCAA Zone Diving Meet in Austin, Texas. Their participation extends a streak of three-straight years that an MU diver has advanced through the zones and into the final meet. Evan Watters competed each of the last two years and earned All-America honors in the 1-meter springboard and platform.

The men's championship will run March 15-17 at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.