SMU's Erasmus, Nicholas Set For NCAAs

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

Erasmus, Nicholas Set For NCAA Swimming And Diving Championship
Event Runs Wednesday-Saturday In Atlanta

March 14, 2016

The Week Ahead...
Juniors Marne Erasmus and Tara-Lynn Nicholas will represent the SMU women’s swimming and diving team at the 2016 NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championship March 16-19 in Atlanta. The event is hosted by Georgia Tech and will be held at the McAuley Aquatic Center. Preliminary action begins at 10 a.m. ET/9 a.m. CT each day, with finals following at 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT.

Both student-athletes compete on Friday, with Erasmus taking on the field in the 100-yard butterfly and Nicholas in the 100-yard breaststroke. Both are two-time All-Americans in their respective events, and won the 2016 American Athletic Conference championship. Erasmus (51.77) enters as the 13th seed, while Nicholas (59.59) is 15th. Both hold the SMU records in each event.

Conference Champs...
The SMU women’s swimming and diving team won 10 of 18 swimming events to defend its American Athletic Conference Championship. The Championship is the Mustangs’ second in the three-year history of The American, and 17th in the last 20 seasons.

In all, the Mustangs earned five individual championships, and swept the event’s five relays. Marne Erasmus (butterfly) and Kirsty McLauchlan (individual medley) swept their individual specialties, while Tara-Lynn Nicholas won the 100-yard breaststroke.

All-Conference...
The AAC Champion Mustangs placed seven individuals, as well as all five relays on the 2016 All-Conference list.

200 free relay*: Rogers, Nicholas, Erasmus, Cunningham
400 free relay*: Santa, Rogers, Hoch, Cunningham
800 free relay*: Hoch, Santa, Bezan, Cunningham
200 medley relay*: Sudarma, Nicholas, Erasmus, Rogers
400 medley relay*: Volchkov, Nicholas, Erasmus, Cunningham
Cheesbrough: 200 fly
Cunningham: 100 free, 200 free
Erasmus: 100 fly*, 200 fly*
Hoch: 500 free
McLauchlan: 200 IM*, 400 IM*
Nicholas: 100 breast*, 200 breast
Rogers: 50 free

*Denotes Conference Champion

2015 NCAA Championship Recap...
The Mustangs had four individuals earn All-America honors, led by Rachel Nicol with an eighth-place finish in the Championship Final of the 100 breast, at the 2015 NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championship March 19-21 at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, North Carolina. Fellow senior Isabella Arcila also picked up honors in the 100 free, while sophomores Tara-Lynn Nicholas and Marne Erasmus picked up accolades for the second year in a row in the 100 breast and 100 fly, respectively. SMU’s 400 yard medley relay team of Arcila, Nicolas, Erasmus and Nathalie Lindborg placed 13th on night one to earn the nod. The Mustangs finished 31st scoring 27.0 team points.

Ponies On Top...
SMU finished the season with all five of the fastest relay times in the American Athletic Conference. Individually, the Mustangs have six of the top times in their respective events, and also have 19 in the top five.

Conference Favorites...
Six Mustangs accounted for eight weekly accolades from the American Athletic Conference this season. Marne Erasmus (Jan. 12), Maddie Hoch (Oct. 20 & Oct. 6), Tara-Lynn Nicholas (Nov. 3) and Hannah Rogers (Feb. 9) were honored on the swimming side, while Lauren Lamb (Feb. 9, Jan. 12) and Madeline Wainman (Oct. 6) were both been honored on the diving side.

Championship Success...
SMU has won 17 of the last 20 conference championships, including a first-place finish at the American Athletic Conference Championship in 2016. The Mustangs have never finished outside of the top three under Steve Collins, with only two 3rd-place finishes. This is the 32nd consecutive year the Mustangs have appeared at the NCAA Championship, dating back to 1985. Of those 32 appearances, SMU has finished in the top 10 17 times, and inside the top 5 10 times. The highest placement came at the 1996 Championship, where the Mustangs earned runner-up honors.

Scholar All-America...
SMU was named to the fall 2015 Scholar All-America list for Division I teams that achieved a grade-point-average above 3.0. The Mustangs registered a 3.43. The program’s senior class has earned Scholar All-America status since arriving on the Hilltop in the fall of 2012.

“We are very excited about the team’s outstanding performance in the classroom,” head women’s coach Steve Collins said. “Our student-athletes are pursuing many different majors from all of the schools across our campus with great success.”

Making History...
Following the 2014-15 season the Mustang roster accounted for 19 of the all-time top 10 times in SMU history, with four holding the school record. Eight were also in the top three. Team members were also part of eight relays that rank in the top three of their respective events.

In The Rankings...
The SMU women’s swimming and diving team ranked 21st in the first edition of the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) 2015-16 Division I poll, the organization announced on Oct. 27. This is a biweekly poll, which alternates with the men’s Division I poll.

Leader of the Pack...
Head coach Steve Collins and assistant coach Ashley Dell were named the American Athletic Conference Coaching Staff of the Year for the second straight season.

Road To Rio...
The Mustangs have been preparing for the Olympic Games in Rio this coming August. Volunteer Assistant Coach Nina Rangelova has qualified for Bulgaria and will be competing at the European Championships in May in preparation for Rio. Volunteer Assistant Coach Isabella Arcila has reached the Olympic B qualifying times and will be competing at the South American Games in March to solidify her place on Colombia’s Olympic Team. Recent graduate Rachel Nicol looks to repeat her performance from the World Championships and qualify for Canada, while Nathalie Lindborg will be shooting for a place on Sweden’s free relay at the Swedish Trials. The following current team members will be attending their Olympic Trials – Great Britain - Anna Cheesbrough, Vicky Cunningham and Hannah Rogers, South Africa – Marne Erasmus, Tara Nicholas, and Kirsty McLauchlan. In April, several swimmers will compete at the USA Grand Prix in Mesa so that they can reach Olympic Trial qualifying times.