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PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Eight student-athletes from ECU, Houston and SMU will represent The American at the 2018 Division I NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. ECU swimmers Jacek Arentewicz and Gustavo Santos, along with SMU diver Bryce Klein each punched tickets to the men’s meet. Houston swimmers Peyton Kondis, Zarena Brown and Ksenia Yuskova will be joined by SMU swimmers Matea Samardzic and Andrea Podmanikova to compete in the women’s championships.
 
The women’s championships will be held March 14-17 at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion in Columbus, Ohio. The Ohio State University and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission will serve as co-hosts. The men's championships will be held March 21-24 at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, will serve as host.
 
A total of 322 women and 270 men participants will compete in the championships, as swimmers qualified by meeting established minimum time standards and divers were determined by performances at the Zone Diving Meets from March 5-10.
  Kondis has posted the fasted time in program history in the 100-yard breaststroke at the 2018 American Athletic Conference Championships. The sophomore clocked a NCAA B-Cut time of 59.73 in the event and will also be competing in the 200-yard breaststroke and 200 individual medley, which she holds the second-fastest times in program history with times of 2:12.01 and 1:59.75.
 
Brown won six medals and three individual events at the 2018 American Athletic Conference Championships. The sophomore holds the current program record in the 100-yard freestyle, winning the event with a time of 49.09 at the conference championships. Brown will also compete in the 200- and 500-yard freestyle this week. Brown holds the second-best times in program history in each of those events.
 
Yuskova holds the program record in the 200-yard freestyle after posting the then-eighth fastest time in the country in the event during the Phill Hansel Invitational. The senior will also compete in the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard freestyle, both events in which she holds the second-fastest times in program history.
  Klein, The American’s Most Outstanding Diver returns to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2016 after an eighth place finish on 1 meter at the NCAA Zone D Championships. Klein will also enter the 3-meter competition with his top-12 finish. Klein is a four-time NCAA Zones qualifier, a six-time American Athletic Conference champion and a 10-time all-conference selection. He holds both the SMU and The American records on 1 and 3 meter.
 
This is the second time Samardzic will compete at the Championships, qualifying both of her seasons. or the second straight year, Samardzic earned invites in the 200-yard backstroke and 400-yard individual medley and has the option to compete in the 100-yard backstroke, having previously posted and NCAA B cut during the 2017-18 season. Samardzic earned Most Outstanding Performer honors at the American Athletic Conference Championships, sweeping her individual events.
 
Podmanikova makes her first appearance on the national level with invites in the 100- and 200-yard breaststrokes. She also has the opportunity to swim the 200-yard individual medley. Podmanikova won the 200 distance at the conference championships, while finishing as the runner-up in the 100 distance.
  The Pirates send multiple swimmers to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 1979. Arentewicz qualified for the 200-yard breaststroke, after swimming an ECU varsity record time 1:54.49 at the Liberty University Last Chance Meet Feb. 25 at Liberty Natatorium. He captured the gold medal in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke at the American Athletic Conference Championship and earned all-conference honors in four events. He will also have the opportunity to compete in the 100-yard breaststroke.
 
Santos qualified for the championships in the 100-yard butterfly after posting an ECU record time of 45.89 at the Liberty University Last Chance Meet. He claimed the gold medal in the event at The American championships and collected all-league accolades in five events. He will also have the opportunity to compete in the 200-yard butterfly.
 
ESPN3 will stream live the men's championship finals sessions Friday and Saturday, and ESPNU will broadcast the women’s championship finals session Friday. ESPN3 will stream the finals session on Saturday for the women. All other women’s sessions will be streamed live at www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com. Tape delayed coverage of the women's championships will be broadcast on ESPNU March 25 at 4 p.m. ET. All men’s sessions not broadcast by either ESPNU or ESPN3 will be streamed live on the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships microsites at www.gophersports.com.