AUSTIN, Texas –– One day after setting a Navy and Patriot League record for the highest placement by a women's swimmer at the NCAA Division I Women's Swimming & Diving Championship, Lauren Barber (Sr., New Wilmington, Pa.) improved upon that performance Friday at the event in Austin, Texas.

Barber placed 19th in the 100 breaststroke Friday to miss advancing to the consolation final by 21-hundredths of a second.  Her time of 59.76 ranks second in both school and league history to her own effort of 59.71 set earlier this season which qualified her for the third national championship meet of her career.  

Today's showing came one day after she placed 22nd in the 200 individual medley.  That finish bettered the previous highest placement by a Mid and league swimmer at the meet of 23rd (Tara Chapmon, 200 free, 2010).

Barber will end her decorated career Saturday by competing in the 200 breaststroke.  She is seeded 35th in the event with her qualifying time of 209.54.

Closing out her inaugural trip to the NCAA Championship on Friday was teammate Martina Thomas (Fr., Fayetteville, Ark.).  Just the second Navy and league swimmer to qualify for the Division I event as a freshman (Barber, 2016), she finished in 36th place in the 200 free with a time of 1:46.72.  

Making her first appearance at the championship on Friday was diver Meghan Gerdes (So., Spring, Texas).  She totaled 254.25 points to place 40th in the three-meter diving event.

Gerdes and Hannah Montau (Fr., Germantown, Md.) will both compete in platform diving Saturday.

Women's NCAA Championship Schedule (all times Eastern Daylight Time)
Thursday, March 21
500 Freestyle – Martina Thomas, 53rd (4:48.23); 200 Individual Medley – Lauren Barber, 22nd (1:56.93); One-Meter Diving – Hannah Montau, 50th (210.00)
Friday, March 22
200 Freestyle – Martina Thomas, 36th (1:46.72); 100 Breaststroke – Lauren Barber, 19th (59.76); Three-Meter Diving – Meghan Gerdes (40th, 254.25)
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