State College, Pa.; March 12, 2001- The Penn State men's swimming and diving team will send eight swimmers and two divers to the 2001 NCAA Championships at Texas A&M from March 22-24. The Nittany Lions are currently ranked 12th in the College Swimming Coaches Association of America poll.

Joe Peresan (Lancaster, N.Y.), Eugene Botes (Camp Hill, Pa.), and Martin Schierhorn (Zappendorf, Germany) will all compete in three individual events in College Station, Tex. The Nittany Lions will also compete in all five relays at the championships.

Divers Steve Bohner (Lansdale, Pa.) and Chris Alderman (Arlington, Va.) advanced to the championships by way of their top two finishes at the Zone A Prequalifications in Annapolis, Md. last weekend. Bohner took first place in the one-meter competition and Alderman finished second in the three-meter event to secure their tickets to NCAAs.

The Nittany Lions are looking to improve upon their school-best 19th place from a year ago. Follow all the action by clicking on the link at the men's swimming and diving page at www.goPSUsports.com for updates of the 2001 NCAA Championships.

Swimming Qualifiers
1. Bob Molettiere: 50 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle
2. Joe Peresan: 200 I.M., 400 I.M., 200 Breaststroke
3. Eugene Botes: 50 Freestyle, 100 Butterfly, 100 Freestyle
4. Brian Hostetler: 50 Freestyle
5. Todd Minnier: 100 Butterfly, 200 Butterfly
6. John Retrum: 200 Freestyle, 200 Backstroke
7. Martin Schierhorn: 500 Freestyle, 200 Freestyle, 1650 Freestyle
8. Matt Haupt: 200 I.M., 100 Butterfly

200 Free Relay, 400 Medley Relay , 200 Medley Relay , 800 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay

Diving Qualifiers: Chris Alderman and Steve Bohner