BGSU Swimming Sends Seven to Short Course Nationals - WICU12/WSEE Erie, PA News, Sports, Weather and Events

BGSU Swimming Sends Seven to Short Course Nationals

BOWLING GREEN - Members of the Bowling Green State University swim team are set to compete in the USA Swimming AT&T Winter National Championships this week - one of the most of prestigious events on the USA swimming calendar.  The event will take place Nov. 29-Dec. 1 in Austin, Texas. 

This year marks the first time Bowling Green has competed in the event, which pits the Falcons against the top swimmers in the nation in a three-day, short course competition.  Seven Falcons will join the field, including Emily Bennet, Alexa Harris, Alexis Kain, Daniela Carrillo, Jordan Bullock, Joëlle Scheps and Brittany Szekely.  Of those athletes, only Harris and Kain have experience swimming at an event of this magnitude before, after qualifying to the U.S. Olympic Trials last summer.

"We are looking forward to having such a big group going and representing BGSU on the national level," said head coach Petra Martin.  "We hope to bring back new perspective on what it takes to compete at such a high level and pass that on to the rest of the team so that we can keep getting more and more representation on this level in the future."

The Falcons are coming off an impressive showing at the Northwestern TYR Invitational, finishing third of six teams and winning three of five relays.  Scheps, Kain and Harris also scored individual wins, with Scheps swimming some of the fastest times in school history to win the 200 IM and 200 freestyle.  Kain and Harris added wins in the 100 breaststroke and 200 backstroke, with times that met the NCAA B standard - a provisional qualifying time to the NCAA Championships.

Competition begins Thursday with races in the 200 freestyle relay, 500 freestyle, 200 IM, 50 freestyle and 400 medley relay.  A full schedule of events is available below.