AUSTIN, Texas –– Lauren Barber (Sr., New Wilmington, Pa.) added another chapter to her extensive record book as she became the first women's swimmer in Navy and Patriot League history to earn Honorable Mention All-America honors at the NCAA Division I Championship with her eighth-place showing in the consolation final of the 200 breaststroke Saturday in Austin, Texas.
 
"To be the first female swimmer in Navy history to score at the Division I Championship, and to do so in her very last opportunity, speaks to Lauren's incredible perseverance," said Navy women's swimming head coach John Morrison.  "She worked through some disappointing performances during her four years.  From qualifying for the meet as a freshman, to not making it as a sophomore, to having breakthrough performances as a junior to placing 19^th Friday (100 breast) with a time we thought would be good enough to score, there have been ups and downs.  This swim, and reaching one of her goals in her final swim, says it all.  We are all proud of her efforts."
 
Barber qualified for the consolation final with a time of 2:08.73 in the morning trial heats.  That effort broke her own school and league record by eight-tenths of a second.  Her previous standard of 2:09.54 was set earlier this season and placed her 35th in the field for the event at the championship.
 
She would place eighth in the consolation final with a time of 2:09.39.
 
"I was very happy and relieved to finally make it back to the evening session," said Barber, who won 28 gold medals in 28 career events at the Patriot League Championship.  "I had been counting the amount of people swimming faster than me in the heats following mine, and how many people could go faster than me and still allow me to make the finals.  I knew if five people swam faster than me in the last heat I would be bumped.  When I counted four doing so, I didn't really believe it.  I was waiting for them to announce the B final before I did believe it."
 
Barber was making the third trip to NCAA Championship in her career.  That ties her with Thuy-Mi Dinh (2008-10) for the most appearances by a Navy and league swimmer at the Division I Championship.  Additionally, Barber's nine career events at the meet betters the previous record of five which was jointly held by Dinh and Tara Chapmon (2009-10).
 
Barber saved her best performance at the national championship for her last trip.  She previously had posted a best finish of 25^th in an event at the meet.  Barber began the 2019 meet by finishing in 22^nd place in Thursday's 200 individual medley.  That showing was the best for a Mid at the meet in Division I history (was 23^rd).  On Friday, she bettered that mark by finishing in 19^th place in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 59.76 to just miss her own school and league record of 59.71 and miss qualifying for the consolation final by 21-hundredths of a second and three spots.
 
Saturday morning, she took a slight lead in her heat heading into the halfway point of the race and held on to win the heat by 16-hundredths of a second.
 
"An amazing swim," said Morrison of Barber's trial heat effort.  "To go a lifetime best at this meet is so hard to do.  To also drop nearly a full second from her personal best and improve upon her seed by 19 spots is quite an accomplishments and testament to Lauren's never quite attitude.
 
"Like her first two races this week, she fearlessly took her race out and was able to put together a school and league record."
 
"I am extremely happy to be able to get Navy up on the scoreboard, even if it was only one little point," said Barber.  "Being an All-American was a goal I had long before I came to college, so I was happy to finally accomplish that.
 
"Being at the NCAAs with my coaches and three teammates was amazing and I wouldn't trade anything about this experience for anything else.  I wouldn't be where I am without all of my teammates, especially the ones I shared this week with.  I am so proud of all three of them and I can't wait to see what they do in the future."
 
Darcy Stuart is the lone other Mid to earn Honorable Mention All-America honors for Navy at the Division I Women's Championship.  She garnered the accolade with a 14^th-place finish in the platform event in 1994 and a 10-place showing in platform diving in 1996.
 
Completing their first NCAA Championship on Saturday were Navy divers Hannah Montau (Fr., Germantown, Md.) and Meghan Gerdes (So., Spring, Texas).  Montau scored 192.35 points to finish in 41^st place in platform diving and Gerdes totaled 189.75 points to place 42^nd in the event.  Both divers previously competed in events earlier in the championship.  Prior to this year, Stuart was the last Navy diver to compete at the meet and never before had two Navy divers qualified for the same Division I championship.
 
"Our women held their own this week," said Navy diving coach Rich MacDonald.  "I was proud of them.  The experience they gathered from this meet is so important.  It was an awesome learning experience and definitely something we are going to build off of in the future."
 
Rounding out the Navy contingent of four –– the most Mids to attend a Division I women's championship –– was Martina Thomas (Fr., Fayetteville, Ark.), who competed in the 200 and 500 freestyle events the first two days of the meet.
 
"This NCAA experience as a freshman will definitely pay dividends for Martina the remainder of her career," said Morrison.
 
Women's NCAA Championship Schedule
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, 40^th (254.25)
Saturday, March 23
200 Breaststroke – Lauren Barber, 16^th in trial heats (2:08.73); eighth in consolation final (2:09.39); Platform Diving – Hannah Montau, 41^st (192.35); Meghan Gerdes, 42^nd (189.75)
 
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