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Players Mentioned
VIDEO: Swimming Duo Shares Thoughts On NCAAs, Late Ivy Champs Heroics
March 22, 2016 | Men's Swimming and Diving
Senior Sandy Bole and sophomore Corey Okubo shared some thoughts with GoPrincetonTigers.TV prior to heading to Atlanta, Ga., for the 2016 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships.
Coming off their dramatic final-day rally to an Ivy League championship, seven members of the Princeton men's swimming team will travel to Atlanta, Ga., in two weeks to compete in the 2016 NCAA Championships.
Senior tri-captain Teo D'Alessandro, junior En-Wei Hu-Van Wright and sophomore Corey Okubo were each individual qualifiers to the championships, and each will swim in three events. Princeton also qualified three relays (200 free, 400 free, 400 medley), and it will bring Julian Mackrel, Alexander Lewis, Ben Schafer and Sandy Bole to compete in those events.
"Our guys are really looking forward to representing Princeton at the Men's NCAA Championships," assistant coach Michael Joyce said. "We had a phenomenal year and the guys are ready to go to battle for one more meet this season. They're still hungry for more success, which has made our post-Ivy training enjoyable and productive. We'll have a group of seven down there competing, and I'm confident our guys will step up at the national level and give their very best for themselves, their teammates and for Princeton."
D'Alessandro, the three-time reigning Ivy League champion in the 200 IM, qualified in that event with the nation's 28th-fastest time (1:44.33). He will also compete in both the 100 and 200 free during the weekend. D'Alessandro competed in relays at the 2013 NCAA Championships, but this will be his debut in individual events.
Hu-Van Wright was Princeton's lone double winner during the Ivy championship weekend; ironically, his highest-ranked time came in the only event he didn't win. Hu-Van Wright earned invites in all three events — the 50 free, the 100 back and the 100 free — and he'll go as the Ivy champion in both the 100 back and the 100 free.
His time in the 50 free (19.37) is 16th-fastest nationally, while his 100 back (46.13, 23rd) and his 100 free (43.05, 31st) also earned automatic invitations.
Okubo was one of the critical figures during Princeton's final-day surge at Ivies, as he won the 200 back and took second in the 200 fly for crucial team points. Okubo earned his invitation in the 400 IM (3:44.59, 22nd), and he will also swim in the 200 IM and the 200 fly.
Mackrel, Schafer and Bole helped clinch the Ivy League championship with a victorious performance in the 400 free relay to end the meet, while Lewis joined in the 200 free relay on Day 1. Both free relays earned invitations; the 200 time of 1:17.66 is 11th nationally, while the 400 time of 2:52.06 is 13th. The 400 medley will compete after placing 20th nationally in a time of 3:09.20.
The NCAA Championships will be held March 23-26 at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center in Atlanta. ESPN3.com will stream finals sessions Friday and Saturday live. Additionally, ESPNU will air a 90-minute show at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time, Wednesday, April 6.