Four Panthers Primed to Perform at NCAAs

Wednesday, March 14

Columbus, Ohio

Pitt

NCAA Women's Championships

Four Panthers Primed to Perform at NCAAs

3/14/2018 3:00:00 PM | Swimming & Diving

PITTSBURGH—Four talented student-athletes will represent the University of Pittsburgh women's swimming & diving program over the next three days at the 2018 NCAA Championships to be held at Ohio State's McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion in Columbus, Ohio.

Senior swimmers Lina Rathsack and Amanda Richey are making their third consecutive trips to NCAAs, while senior diver Meme Sharp is also a three-time qualifier. Pitt freshman diver Lydia Rosenthall is set to make her NCAA debut in her first season with the Panthers.

"We're hoping that this will be a special week for our athletes," Pitt head coach John Hargis said. "The goal is to be at a peak level of performance for NCAAs, especially for the three seniors. We hope that their final meet in a Pitt cap is their best. It will be exciting to see us compete with the nation's best."

Coming off two ACC championship final appearances last month, Rathsack will swim both breaststroke events and the 200-yard individual medley, looking to add to her Honorable Mention All-America finish in the 100-yard breast last season at NCAAs. Richey also has the potential to score for the Panthers in her preferred freestyle distance events of 500 and 1,650 yards.

Pitt could also be primed for NCAA success in the diving well. Sharp, who won the USA Diving Winter Nationals 1-meter springboard title in 2017, is a former NCAA All-American as well after earning Honorable Mention status on 3-meter springboard in 2016 and hopes to finish her fabulous career with the Panthers on a high note. And Rosenthall, Pitt's impressive freshman British import, has proven her ability to perform at championship meets after qualifying for the ACC finals on 3-meter in February.

"Meme and Lydia are definitely both capable of doing great things at this meet," Pitt diving coach Katie Hazelton said of her two divers. "It will be fun to watch them in both events, and we believe that they can contend for top-16 and top-eight placements on each board. They have both worked so hard to reach this point, and they should be confident in their ability to execute at a premier meet."

All four Panthers will open at NCAAs on Thursday, with Richey and Rathsack participating in the morning swimming prelims session before Sharp and Rosenthall compete for All-America honors in the 1-meter springboard competition, which starts at 12:30 p.m.

Event finals will be held during evening sessions on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The top-16 qualifying competitors in each event will advance to finals. Friday's finals will be shown live on ESPNU starting at 5 p.m., with Saturday's event finals set for an ESPN3 broadcast at 6 p.m.

A full schedule for Pitt's athletes competing in Columbus this week is available below.

Pitt at the 2018 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships
Thursday Swimming Prelims (10 a.m)