Championships coming up for swimming and diving for first time

More postseason accolades also for team

Six University of Akron swimming and diving members will be traveling to Atlanta, Georgia. this weekend with a chance to come back home with an NCAA championship for the first time in team history.

The Zips, the Mid-American Conference Champions, concluded the season ranked 34th by collegeswimming.com.

Competing in the 2016 NCAA Championships will be Luka Szynal, representing Akron in the 100- and 200-meter backstroke. Szynal set MAC, meet, and school records with her time of 1:53.12 in the 200 as she won her second MAC title.

The Zips’ relay team of Madison Myers, Hannah Raspopovich, Sadie Fazekas, and Ashley Niznik used a time of 1:37.28 in the 200-meter medley relay to qualify for the championships – the 18th-fastest time in the nation this season.

With a qualifying time of 1:29.80, this same team will represent Akron at the championships in the 200-meter freestyle relay.

Following her performance in last weekend’s NCAA Zone “C” diving meet, Alice Hottensmith became the first Zips diver to qualify for the championships. Hottensmith will compete in both the one- and three-meter competitions.

This Tuesday, the MAC announced that 15 members of the swimming and diving program had been placed on the 2016 Academic All-MAC team.

The 15 honorees bested last year’s total of 13 as the most honors earned in one year in program history.

“This is a very impressive group of young women, highly motivated in the classroom as well as the pool,” said Head Coach Brian Peresie. “We all feel very fortunate to be coaching them and appreciate their efforts.”

Hottensmith and Raspopovich joined teammates Ashley Drazkowski, Susan Franz, Kara Kaulius, Paige Kelkenberg,  Allison Teske, Ashley Niznik, Emily O’Brien, Natalie O’Brien, Hannah Palochak, Laura Savaraiu, Erin Seiler, Kristen Vargas, and Laura Weiss as those selected for the 2016 Academic All-MAC team.

To qualify for the Academic All-MAC team, a student-athlete must excel in both athletics and academics by carrying at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and participating in at least 50 percent of the contests in his or her sport.