Click the above photo for interviews with each of the six Mids competing at the NCAA Championship

ANNAPOLIS, Md. –– The Navy swimming and diving teams will send a combined six athletes to the respective NCAA Championship meets held over the next 10 days at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center in Austin, Texas.

Click HERE for Live Swimming Results for Both Meets
Click HERE for Live Video for Swimming Trial Heat Sessions and all Diving Events for Both Meets
Click HERE for Live Diving Results for Both Meets
Live Video for Swimming Finals Sessions –– The link varies daily

Swimmers Lauren Barber (Sr., New Wilmington, Pa.) and Martina Thomas (Fr., Fayetteville, Ark.) will compete along with divers Meghan Gerdes (So., Spring, Texas) and Hannah Montau (Fr., Germantown, Md.) at the March 21-23 women's championship, and divers Bradley Buchter (Jr., Hickory, N.C.) and Jake Hedrick (So., Hummelstown, Pa.) will compete March 28-30 at the men's championship.

Barber qualified for the championship for the third time in her four seasons.  That ties her with Thuy-Mi Dinh (2008-10) for the most appearances by a Mid at the meet during the program's Division I era (since 1991-92).  She will once again compete in both breaststroke events and in the 200 individual medley event.  

Barber ranks 28th among those competing at the championship in the 100 breast with her effort of 59.71.  She also ranks 30th in the 200 IM (1:56.23) and 35th in the 200 breast (2:09.54).

Thomas becomes the sixth Mid to compete as a swimmer at the NCAA Division I Women's Championship, and she joins Barber as the lone two in that group to be invited to the meet as a freshman.  Her invitation was courtesy of the 1:44.07 she posted in the 200 freestyle, an effort that gives her the No. 18 seed at the meet.  Thomas also will compete in the 500 free at the meet thanks to her time of 4:45.67, an effort that ranks 68th in the field.

Navy previously sent two swimmers to a single Division I meet in 2009 and '10 when both Dinh and Tara Chapmon qualified.

Gerdes and Montau each earned invitations to the championship with their respective showings in the platform diving event at the Zone A Championship.  Gerdes placed second in the event and Montau third.  A top-five finish in platform diving at the zone meet qualified a diver for the women's national championship.  Gerdes also will compete in the three-meter competition (eighth at the zone meet) and Montau will take part in the one-meter event (12th at the zone meet).

Only two previous Navy divers have advanced to the Division I national championship: Stacia Johnson qualified for the 1993 event and Darcy Stuart competed in both the 1994 and '96 meets.  The lone additional women's diver to represent a Patriot League-member school at the championship is Army's Chelsea Haviland in 2006.

Buchter advanced to the NCAA Championship for the third time in as many years.  He is the fifth men's diver in school history to qualify for at least three national championship meets and the first to do so since Bay Dobbins went for a third time in 1998.  Buchter advanced to this year's meet by virtue of placing third in the one-meter event and fourth in the three-meter competition during the NCAA Zone A Diving Championship.

Hedrick is making his NCAA Championship debut.  He placed fourth in the platform event at the zone meet to qualify for the championship.

This is the fifth time in school history and the first since 1996 in which Navy will send two men's divers to the NCAA Championship.  The additional years in which Navy sent two men's divers to the national championship were 1946, '52 and '83.

Women's NCAA Championship Schedule (all times Eastern Daylight Time)
Thursday, March 21 (10 a.m. swimming trials, 12:30 p.m. diving trials, 6 p.m. swimming and diving finals)
500 Freestyle – Martina Thomas, 200 Individual Medley – Lauren Barber, One-Meter Diving – Hannah Montau
Friday, March 22 (10 a.m. swimming trials, 12:30 p.m. diving trials, 6 p.m. swimming and diving finals)
200 Freestyle – Martina Thomas, 100 Breaststroke – Lauren Barber, Three-Meter Diving – Meghan Gerdes
Saturday, March 23 (10 a.m. swimming trials, 12:30 p.m. diving trials, 6 p.m. swimming and diving finals)
200 Breaststroke – Lauren Barber, Platform Diving – Meghan Gerdes, Hannah Montau

Men's NCAA Championship Schedule (all times Eastern Daylight Time)
Thursday, March 28 (12:15 p.m. diving trials, 6 p.m. swimming and diving finals)
One-Meter Diving – Bradley Buchter
Friday, March 29 (12:30 p.m. diving trials, 6 p.m. swimming and diving finals)
Three-Meter Diving – Bradley Buchter
Saturday, March 30 (12:15 p.m. diving trials, 6 p.m. swimming and diving finals)
Platform Diving – Jake Hedrick