Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Possato to Swim at NCAA Meet
03/11/2005 | 12:00:00 | Swimming & Diving
March 11, 2005
By Shalae Schulte
www.siusalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois University senior Marcelo Possato became the first Saluki swimmer since 1991 to make the cut to swim at the NCAA Championship meet. Possato will swim in the 100 and 200 backstrokes Friday and Saturday Mar. 25-26 in Minneapolis, Minn.
"I'm elated," Saluki head coach Rick Walker said. "This is the fastest meet in the world."
Possato's time of 48.61 in the 100 back is the 29th fastest time in the nation this season of the 54 athletes that made the cut to swim. He is ranked 22nd of 40 swimmers in the 200 back with a time of 1:45.16.
Both times are career bests for Possato and all-time bests at SIU. He is the first swimming and diving athlete since diver Rob Siracusano achieved All-American honors in the three-meter dive in 1995 to compete at the meet.
When Walker took over as head coach in 1992, the NCAA changed the policy to qualify for the NCAA meet. Instead of setting one mark in each event and when the mark was reached by an athlete throughout the season, they were qualified to swim at the meet, the rules changed and only a certain number of athletes are allotted to swim at the championships. The new rules have made the selection process tougher for all athletes.
"Every year we have had qualifiers, and this year we had several qualifiers," Walker said. "Now we have a swimmer fast enough to make the cut, and it makes it that much sweeter. Marcelo has reached a whole new level. We don't just want to go and swim, we want to make an impact."
