Kiwis unlucky on second day of NCAA Championships

The second day of the NCAA Division 1 Swimming Championships provided a disaster for Kiwi swimmers.

Waikato swimmer Sam Perry produced a strong performance to anchor his Stanford team in the 4x200 yard medley relay but the team was disqualified when their second swimmer made an early start.

Worse was to follow for the St Peters swimmer who was disqualified for a false start in heats of the 200 yard freestyle, a fate that also occurred for Canterbury’s Matt Hutchins in the same event competing for the University of Wisconsin.

Commonwealth Games representative Corney Main, returning to competition after suffering from glandular fever earlier in the year, helped his University of Florida team to sixth fastest qualifier in the medley relay. The Howick Pakuranga club swimmer clocked a respectable 19.02s to anchor the team in the final freestyle leg.

He later clocked 46.43s to be 21^st fastest in heats of the 100 yard backstroke.

Alex Hancock, on scholarship at Auburn University, was timed at 47.09s in heats of the 100 yard butterfly, to be 37^th fastest.

In tomorrow’s final day, Perry and Hancock compete in the 100 yard freestyle and Main in his favoured 200 yard backstroke.

All four New Zealand swimmers will return to New Zealand for the National Championships on 14-17 April, which doubles as the official trial for world championship selection.