March 18, 2010

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Navy's Thuy-Mi Dinh (Sr., Anaheim, Calif.) and Tara Chapmon (Sr., Virginia Beach, Va.) both had good opening days at the NCAA Swimming Championship Thursday in West Lafayette, Ind. Dinh placed 24th in the 50 freestyle while Chapmon finished in 32nd place in the 500 free.

"It was a very good, very positive first day for both Thuy-Mi and Tara," said Navy head coach John Morrison. "They both swam and raced really well and we are pleased with how they started this meet."

Dinh completed her sprint race in a time of 22.63. That clocking ranks seventh in school history, was nine-hundredths of a second in back of her season-best time of 22.54 and was three-tenths of a second behind her school-record clocking of 22.36.

Dinh holds each of the top-10 times in Navy history in the 50 free.

Additionally, Dinh's placement was not only a career high for her at the national meet, it also was the best for both a Navy and Patriot League swimmer at the Division I Championship. Entering this week the highest placement by a Navy swimmer at the meet was Julia Mason's 30th-place showing in the 100 breaststroke in 1997, while the previous best finish by a Patriot League swimmer had been a 27th-place finish by Colgate's Emily Murphy last year in the 100 breast.

Now competing in her third NCAA Championship, Dinh's previous best placing at the meet was 32nd, which she achieved last year in the 50 free.

Chapmon began her second NCAA appearance by posting a time of 4:44.82 in the 500 free. That clocking ranks second in Navy history and wasn't too far off from her recently set school record -- and NCAA qualifying time -- of 4:43.44.

Chapmon entered the meet seeded 28th in the 500 free. She had finished 40th in the 500 free and 58th in the 200 free at the 2009 NCAA Championship meet.

Friday's schedule has Chapmon competing in the 200 freestyle race, while both members of the Navy duo will take part in Saturday's 100 freestyle event.