COLUMBIA, Mo. – Seven members of the Mizzou men's swimming team earned individual invitations to the 2016 NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships, the NCAA announced on Wednesday. Juniors Michael Chadwick (Charlotte, N.C.), Carter Griffin (Parker, Colo.), Eddie Mapel (Hinsdale, Ill.), Andrew Sansoucie (Wentzville, Mo.) and Fabian Schwingenschlogl (Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany), sophomore Jordy Groters (Oranjestad, Aruba) and freshman Mikel Schreuders (Oranjestad, Aruba) will all represent the Tigers at the Championships, March 23-27, in Atlanta, Ga.
The seven individual swimming invitees are the second-most ever for the men's program, only trailing last year's eight. Missouri is also eligible to swim all five relays: the 200 free relay, 400 free relay, 800 free relay, 200 medley relay and 400 medley relay. The Tigers' relay-only swimmers include seniors Dillon Love (Charlotte, N.C.) and Matthew Margritier (Leawood, Kan.) and juniors Christian Aragona (Godrey, Ill.) and Nick Davis (Chesterfield, Mo).
In the diving well, senior Clark Thomas (Olathe, Kan.) has qualified to dive the 1-meter and 3-meter springboards at NCAAs after his performances on those event at this week's NCAA Zone D Diving Championships. Thomas and Mizzou's other divers compete for NCAA platform berths this afternoon.
Schwingenschlogl, who earned his third career NCAA berth but first at Mizzou, enters the meet as the top seed in the 100 breast with a time of 51.36. The junior placed sixth in the event a season ago and eighth as a freshman in 2013 while competing for Western Kentucky. Schwingelschlogl also earned a berth in the 200 breast (seeded 11th) and is eligible to swim the 200 IM. He owns two first team and one honorable mention All-America honors in his first two seasons of collegiate swimming.
Chadwick claimed berths in three different events, the 50, 100 and 200 free, with seeds of fourth in the 100 free, fifth in the 50 free and 18th in the 200 free. The junior burst onto the national scene at last year's NCAA Championships with finishes of fifth in the 100 free and ninth in the 50 free. Chadwick already stands as the second-most decorated men's swimmer in program history with two first team and six honorable mention All-America accolades in two collegiate seasons.
Earning his third-consecutive individual NCAA berth is Griffin, who claimed invitations in both the 200 free and 200 back. He enters the meet seeded 17th in the 200 back and 26th in the 200 free and can also swim the 100 back at the Championships. Last season as a sophomore, Griffin earned All-America honorable mention honors with an 11th-place finish in the 200 back.
Sansoucie qualified for his first NCAA Championships as an individual with a bid in the 100 fly, where he is seeded 18th, and is eligible to swim the 50 and 100 free as well. He is a four-time All-America honorable mention honoree with Mizzou's 200 and 400 medley relay teams the past two seasons.
A first-time NCAA qualifier, Mapel was one of three Tigers to earn a berth in the 100 breast, where he is seeded 26th. The junior narrowly missed an invitation in the 200 breast but can swim that event plus the 200 IM at the meet.
Groters also earned an NCAA Championships bid in the 100 breast, the first of his career, and enters the meet as the 26th-seed. He'll also swim the 100 free and 200 breast at the Championships.
Only a freshman, Schreuders is the third male freshman swimmer to earn an individual NCAA bid under Head Coach Greg Rhodenbaugh's tenure. He qualified for the meet in the 200 free, where he is the 23rd seed but is also eligible to swim the 100 free as well.
