NAIA Swimming and Diving National Championships

February 28, 2012

By Jake Knabel, NAIA Communications & Sports Information Intern

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The 56th Annual Men's and 32nd Annual Women's NAIA Swimming & Diving National Championships kick off on Wednesday, Feb. 29 and run through Saturday, March 3, in Oklahoma City, Okla., at Oklahoma City Community College. The competition begins on Wednesday with the first two diving events slated for 11 a.m. CST. Thursday, Friday and Saturday will feature full days of action, with preliminary events starting at 10 a.m. and the finals beginning at 6 p.m. each day.

On the men's side, No. 1 Fresno Pacific (Calif.) is looking for its third-straight national championship. The Sunbirds hope to build off of their six individual titles and three record-setting performances at last year's national championships. Fresno Pacific currently leads all NAIA schools with eight individual and four relay top times this season. Senior Bobby Yribarren, part of last year's record-breaking and title-winning 800-yard freestyle relay team, has been the squad's biggest standout thus far. Yribarren was named NAIA Swimmer of the Meet at the Pacific Collegiate Swim & Dive Conference Championships Feb. 8 - 11 and holds top times in the 1,000-yard freestyle and the 1,650-yard freestyle.

Third-ranked SCAD Savannah (Ga.), which finished fifth at the 2011 national championships, returns star Alex Graudins to this year's event. The junior boasts national championship meet records in the 500-yard freestyle (4:35.32) and in the 1,650-yard freestyle (15:31.38). Graudins is a two-time 200-yard freestyle and 1,650-yard freestyle defending champion and currently holds the NAIA top time in the 500-yard freestyle. In total, SCAD Savannah has five individual top times on the season.

In all, 15 men's squads will be contending for the national championship. Of those 15, Fresno Pacific is the only one to win a national championship. The Sunbirds' two team championships are ninth-most all time. Former NAIA member Simon Fraser (B.C.) leads all NAIA schools with 17 team championships.

In women's action, top-ranked Fresno Pacific will bid for its first national championship as it leans on 2010 NAIA Swimmer of the Year in senior Cheyenne Coffman. Coffman is the national championship record holder in the 50-yard freestyle (22.90) and has recorded 2012 NAIA top times in the 100-yard freestyle (49.37) and the 100-yard backstroke (52.41). Coffman has been the main cog for a team that has dominated its competition, holding top times in five individual events and in all five relay categories.

Concordia (Calif.) took home gold in four events at last year's championships, led by swimmer Alex Peters, who returns to the field in 2012. Peters set new meet standards in the 200-yard freestyle (1:49.58) and the 500-yard freestyle (4:52.24) on the way to earning the Women's Outstanding Performer honor in 2011. The senior currently ranks No. 1 on the 200-yard freestyle (1:52.15) top times leaderboard and second in the 500-yard freestyle (5:04.35) behind only Fresno Pacific's Mirielvy Aumaitre (5:03.58). Concordia also returns senior Christine Runkle, last season's one-meter dive champion.

Twenty-one schools will send women's qualifiers to the event. Of those 21, none have ever won a team national championship. Simon Fraser also holds the most women's team championships with 10. Oklahoma Baptist, ranked No. 2 in the men's poll and third in the women's poll, will take the most competitors to the national championships with 49 combined men's and women's swimmers and divers. The Bison boast some of the nation's top divers, including Dennis Noyles (NAIA men's season leader in the one-meter and three-meter events), Tara DeWall (women's leader in the one-meter category) and Amanda Carter (women's leader in the three-meter event).

Fresno Pacific (36), Concordia (34), Asbury (Ky.) (25) and Biola (Calif.) (18) follow Oklahoma Baptist with the next most combined men's and women's qualifiers.