March 17, 2015
RENO, Nev. - The University of Nevada swimming and diving team will be represented by three student-athletes at the 2015 NCAA Championships. Junior Yawen Li, junior Krysta Palmer and sophomore Teresa Baerens will compete Thursday through Saturday, March 19-21, in the Greensboro Aquatics Center in Greensboro, N.C.
Li, Palmer and Baerens will represent the Wolf Pack as Nevada sends three athletes to NCAAs for the first time since 2008. Preliminary action will get underway at 8 a.m. and finals will begin at 4 p.m. (PT) each day. ESPN3 will broadcast the finals on Friday and Saturday with Sam Gore (play-by-play) and Cynthia Potter (color) on the call.
Li - the Mountain West Swimmer of the Year - will compete in the 200-yard IM (Thursday), 400-yard IM (Friday) and 200-yard breaststroke (Saturday). The native of Wuhan, China, competed in the exact same events at the 2014 NCAA Championships, placing 17th, 25th and 45th, respectively.
A two-time all-conference selection, Li boasts the seventh-lowest qualifying time in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:08.49) amongst 53 competitors. Li's qualifying times also rank 12th in the 400 IM (4:07.65) and 27th in the 200 IM (1:57.58). Li won all three of her qualifying events at the MW Championship en route to becoming Nevada's first conference swimmer of the year since Courtney Eads in 2009 (WAC). Li has set five program records in her first two seasons at Nevada.
Palmer - a local product from Carson City - will compete in the NCAA Championship for the first time in her career, qualifying in the three-meter springboard and platform dives. The MW Diver of the Year placed third in platform and fourth in three-meter at the NCAA Zone E Diving Regionals. Competition on the three-meter will begin Friday while the competition will conclude on Saturday with the platform dive.
Palmer swept the MW Championships this season, winning the one-meter (336.30), three-meter (359.40) and platform (343.40) dives. Palmer opened the season by winning 11 consecutive dives before advancing to regional competition. Palmer is a two-time All-MW selection.
Baerens will be competing in the NCAA Championship for the first time in her collegiate career after qualifying in the 100 and 200-yard freestyle and 200-yard IM. The Ottobrun, Germany, native will compete Thursday in the 200 IM alongside teammate Yawen Li. Baerens will also compete Friday in the 200 free with the 31st qualifying time and Saturday in the 100 free with the 49th qualifying time.
A two-time All-MW selection, Baerens won the conference title in the 200 free with a program-record time of 1:45.68. Baerens also broke a Pack record in the 100 free this season in 49.14. Her top 200 IM time ranks second in program history.
Li, Palmer and Baerens will wrap up a highly successful Wolf Pack season under MW Coach of the Year Abby Steketee. The Pack went 8-2 in dual meets, placed third at the MW Championship and clinched three points for Nevada in the Governor's Series.
2015 NCAA Championships
March 19-21
Greensboro Aquatics Center - Greensboro, N.C. - North Carolina State
Live Results
Live Stream
Thursday (Prelims - 8 a.m./Finals - 4 p.m.)
200-freestyle relay
500-yard freestyle
200-yard IM
50-yard freestyle
1-meter springboard
400-yard medley relay
Friday (Prelims - 8 a.m./Finals - 4 p.m.)
200-yard medley relay
400-yard IM 100-yard butterfly
200-yard freestyle
100-yard breaststroke
100-yard backstroke
800-yard freestyle relay
3-meter springboard
Saturday (Prelims - 8 a.m./Finals - 4 p.m.)
200-yard backstroke
100-yard freestyle
200-yard breaststroke
200-yard butterfly
400-yard freestyle relay
Platform dive
1,650-yard freestyle
