Waikato swimmer helps team to NCAA Final

Waikato swimmer Sam Perry has helped his Stanford University team through to the finals on the final day of the NCAA Division 1 Championships in Iowa City today.

Perry, from the St Peters club, was the lead-off swimmer in the heats of the 4x100 yard freestyle relay, where the team clocked 2:50:52 to qualify sixth fastest into the A Final.

The Kiwi freshman was timed at 43.22s for the lead-off swim.

Earlier he went slightly faster, clocking 43.01s in the heats of the 100 yard freestyle but that time did not qualify him for the individual finals.

Likewise fellow Kiwi Alex Hancock, from the Howick Pakuranga club and on scholarship at Auburn, went 43.20s and did not qualify.

Commonwealth Games finalist Corey Main, who was out of swimming earlier in the year with glandular fever, managed 1:41.74 in the heat of the 200 yard backstroke which missed a qualifying spot.

He went one second faster last year to compete in the B final.

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.