In the spring of 2009 Incarnate Word’s swimming team finished 11th in the nation with eight competitors. In 2010 UIW will roll into Canton, Ohio, with 15 swimmers and divers and with a serious chance for national glory.
The NCAA will conduct its annual Division II swimming and diving national championships between March 11 and March 13.
Fresh off their dominant second consecutive Rocky Mountain Conference team title the Cardinals will be seeking to at least live up to their most recent national ranking of second by collegeswimming.com. This is but the third year of competition for the men at Incarnate Word and their rapid rise up the ladder gives them multiple opportunities to make noise in March.
Junior Aliaksandr Yatsko is the UIW leader. He is two-time defending national champion in the 500-freestyle. He has qualified for a shot at a three-peat there along with chances in five other individual races and three relay events.
Patrick Cardenas will swim four individual and two relay events.
Sophomore Patrick Cardenas will be busy in Canton. He has qualified in four individual swims to go with two relays. Sophomore Daniel Murata will be in five individual events and one relay.
Overall Incarnate Word will have point-potential 42 times individually to go with four relay teams. Plus, for the first time UIW will have two divers competing for points in two events.
UIW NATIONAL QUALIFIERS
Nikita Belousov 200-IM, 400-IM, 200-backstroke, 100-backstroke
Luke Bernhard 200-medley relay, 400-free relay, 50-freestyle, 100-freestyle
Patrick Cardenas 400-free relay, 800-free relay, 50-freestyle, 200-freestyle, 100-butterfly
Conrado Chede 800-free relay, 1,650-freestyle, 200-freestyle, 1,000-freestyle
Oleksii Ilchenko 200-backstroke, 100-backstroke, 200-IM
Justin McDonald 1-meter diving, 3-meter diving
Blake McKay 200-medley relay, 400-medley relay, 200-breaststroke, 100-breaststroke
Collier McKenzie 1-meter diving
Daniel Murata 200-medley relay, 100-butterfly, 200-butterfly, 200-IM, 50-freestyle,
100-backstroke
Damontre Pamilton 400-free relay
Teofilo Reyes Jr. 200-medley relay, 100-backstroke
Sean Reeves 200-medley relay, 100-butterfly, 200-butterfly, 200-IM
Mark Rubin 800-free relay, 500-freestyle, 1,650-freestyle, 400-IM, 1,000-freestyle
James Shake 400-medley relay, 100-backstroke, 200-backstroke, 100-butterfly, 200-butterfly
Aliaksandr Yatsko 400-medley relay, 400-free relay, 800-free relay
200-IM, 400-IM, 500-freestyle, 200-freestyle, 1,000-freestyle, 200-butterfly