Women's Swimming & Diving | 2/22/2017 8:58:00 PM

The Wayne State University men's and women's swimming and diving programs received a total of 12 invitations to the 2017 NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships as the official qualification list was released Wednesday evening by the NCAA. The women's team will be represented by seven student-athletes, while the men's squad earned five invitations to the national finals.
 
The 2017 NCAA Championships will be held March 8-11 at the CrossPlex Natatorium in Birmingham, Ala.  The men's team placed 18th a year ago after 11 consecutive top-eight finishes.  Meanwhile, the women's squad finished seventh, the ninth straight year in the top seven at nationals.

In addition to the 12 swimmers qualifying, three female divers will also be participating in the pre-qualification events (one meter and three meter) on Tuesday, March 7.

Of the 48 schools that had the 183 individuals qualify on the women's side, the only institutions with at least seven were Wingate (12), Lindenwood (11), Queens, NC (11), Delta State (10), UC-San Diego (10), Nova Southeastern (9), Drury (8) and California Baptist (7).  Wayne State led all GLIAC schools with seven and was followed by Grand Valley State (5), Northern Michigan (4), Saginaw Valley State (4), Findlay (1) and Hillsdale (1).

Sophomore Lezlie Bueno Estrada (Montes Urales, Mexico) will make her second consecutive appearance at nationals after qualifying in the 50 free (23.16), while classmate Ellie Dean (Midland, Mich. / Dow) qualified in the 1650 free (17:08.31) for the second straight year.  Dean will also swim in the 1000 free (10:14.89), 500 free (4:59.59) and 400 IM (4:30.50) with Estrada participating in the 100 free (51.38).

Redshirt senior Manuela Ferreira (Ibague, Colombia) will be competing at the NCAA Championships for the fourth time after redshirting a season ago.  She qualified in the 100 breast (1:01.94).  Senior Brenna Gabrielson (Livonia, Mich. / Stevenson) will be making her second consecutive NCAA appearance after qualifying in the 100 back (55.06).  Gabrielson will also compete in the 50 free (23.68).

Senior Emily Heitchue (Royal Oak, Mich.) has qualified for the third time in her collegiate career.  This time in both the 100 breast (1:02.22) and 200 breast (2:16.42).  Sophomore Emily Marginean (Tecumseh, Ont. / Riverside S.S.) will be making her inaugural appearance at the national championships after posting a qualifying time of 1:59.55 in the 200 back.  Heitchue will also swim in the 50 free (23.82) with Marginean competing in the 100 back (56.82).

Freshman Kate Svisco (Shelby Twp., Mich. / Eisenhower) qualified in the 200 individual medley (2:03.63).  She will also swim in the 400 IM (4:29.86) and 100 breast (1:04.27).

In terms of women's relays, WSU is seeded second in the 200 medley (1:40.92), eighth in the 400 medley (3:44.63), 15th in the 200 free (1:34.21), 17th in the 400 free (3:26.55) and 27th in the 800 free (7:37.67).

The three female divers that have earned their way to the NCAA finals and will take part in the pre-qualification rounds are seniors Elizabeth Rawlings (Armada, Mich. / Romeo) and Holly Krill (Kalamazoo, Mich. / Portage Central), and freshman Mia Teifer (Trenton, Mich. / Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central).
 
The men's team will have five swimmers participating at the NCAA Championships. 

Freshman Leo Calice Pagotto de Oliveira (Sao Paulo, Brazil) qualified in the 1000 free (9:17.93), while sophomore Dima Drobnych (Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine) earned an NCAA Championship bid for the second straight year in both the 100 back (47.57) and 200 back (1:46.60).  Drobnych will also swim in the 50 free (20.76) with de Oliveira swimming in the 400 IM (3:59.16), 500 free (4:31.78) and 1650 free (15:44.34).

Sophomore Rasmus Olsen (Kastrup, Denmark) will also make his second consecutive appearance at the NCAA finals in both the 100 fly (48.06) and 200 fly (1:47.34).

Freshmen Sasha Palazzo (Verona, Italy) and Joao Martimbianco Ribeiro (Sao Paulo, Brazil) both earned two bids to the NCAA Championship.  Palazzo will compete in both the 100 breast (54.11) and 200 breast (1:59.41), while Ribeiro will participate in both the 200 IM (1:48.82) and 400 IM (3:52.30).  Palazzo will also swim in the 50 free (20.57) with Ribeiro competing in the 200 fly (1:49.64).

In terms of men's relays, WSU qualified in the 200 medley (1:30.71), 400 medley (3:14.57), 200 Free (1:21.49), 400 free (3:01.67) and 800 free (6:42.22).