Four Take the National Stage on Final Day of NCAA Swim & Dive Championships

Saturday, March 17

Columbus, Ohio

10 a.m./6 p.m.

Rutgers University

NCAA Championships

Four Take the National Stage on Final Day of NCAA Swim & Dive Championships

Mar 17 | Women's Swimming & Diving

Prelims Results Finals Results

Scarlet Knights conclude the season with all four NCAA competitors in action

COLUMBUS, Ohio (March 17, 2018) – Rutgers swimming and diving concluded the 2017-18 season as all four NCAA qualifiers turned in performances on the final day of the national championships at Ohio State's McCorkle Aquatic Center on Saturday.

The finale of the NCAA Championships signals the end of a Scarlet Knights campaign that saw six new school records, 22 new additions to the all-time Top 10 performances in program history, and a multitude of lifetime best swims and dives. Rutgers tied for its highest finish at the Big Ten Championships at ninth and sent two swimmers to nationals in back-to-back years for the first time since 2007 and 2008.

"The season went extremely well," said head coach Jon Maccoll. "All of the big goals we set out for were achieved. The seniors left really happy and had great student-athlete experiences. The team is in a really great place mentally right now and it was great to end the season with an All-American and Rutgers names on the national results each day of the NCAA Championships."

Since 2015, Rutgers swimming and diving has qualified 12 student-athletes for the NCAA Championships.

Freshman Sveva Schiazzano wrapped up her debut season at Rutgers with her second event in the 2018 NCAA Championships, the grueling 1,650-yard freestyle. She turned in a time of 16:16.51 to rank 22^nd after the early heats on Saturday. The final heats will be contested on Saturday evening, and assuming the final eight

What to do while watching Sveva swim back and forth really fast for a mile? Cheer her on, of course!#NCAASD Championships pic.twitter.com/sHNJufx5So
— RU Swimming & Diving (@RUSwimDive) March 17, 2018

Junior Francesca Stoppa placed 39^th in the nation in the 200-yard butterfly, touching in at 1:59.00 in her preliminary heat on Saturday morning. The school record holder in the event, Stoppa wrapped up her third straight season competing in an NCAA Championship.

#NCAASD Championships

Francesca Stoppa wraps up another successful season with a 39th place national finish in the 200-yard butterfly. pic.twitter.com/a6dMWzho9q
— RU Swimming & Diving (@RUSwimDive) March 17, 2018

"The majority of athletes add time at this meet, but we moved up in the psych sheet in each swim by Fran and Sveva," Maccoll said. "That's a huge success at this point of a long and demanding season. We'll have a phenomenal senior leader next year in Fran, and an exciting future with Sveva producing at this level as a freshman."

The diving squad also put a bow on their campaign with senior Addison Walkowiak and junior Rachel Byrne taking on the nation in the platform diving event. Byrne took 31^st place with a score of 231.45, right in front of Walkowiak's 33^rd place tally of 227.55.

Walkowiak heads home as Rutgers diving's newest All-American, with honorable mention accolades for her 11^th place national finish in 1-meter diving on Thursday. Rutgers diving now has All-America honors in each of the last three seasons, and four out of the last five under the guidance of head coach Frederick Woodruff.

A historic weekend. 3 new Scarlet Knights reach All American status ????.#GoRU ????? pic.twitter.com/jwjyGQnMCW
— Rutgers Scarlet Knights (@RUAthletics) March 17, 2018

Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding Rutgers swimming & diving, follow the program on Twitter (@RUSwimDive) and on Instagram (ruswimdive). The team is also on Facebook (facebook.com/RUSwimDive).

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