Two-time ACC individual champion Tayla set for the NCAAs
McDonald will look to score points in diving for Tech
March 26, 2008

2008 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships Meet Information
 
BLACKSBURG, Va. - One swimmer and one diver from the Virginia Tech men's team will compete this week at the 2008 Men's NCAA Championships, held at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Wash., outside of Seattle. The competition begins on Thursday with the first prelims kicking off at 3 p.m. (ET) and conclude Saturday night.

H2Okie senior Kaan Tayla (Ankara, Turkey) and sophomore Mikey McDonald (Annandale, Va.) are both making their first career trip to the NCAAs. They will be looking to become the second and third-ever Tech men to earn All-America honors as Gus Calado was the first in 2006 with a fourth-place finish in the 200 butterfly. The 800 free relay team of Calado, Tom Alberi, Scott Beard (Sr., Chesterfield, Va.) and Zac Czaplicki (Sr., North Haven, Conn.) finished 15th that same meet to earn All-America honorable mention honors.

Tayla is currently the fastest active swimmer in the Atlantic Coast Conference, having won both the 50 and 100 free ACC titles this season. He enters Thursday's 50 free prelim as the No. 6 seed with a school-record mark of 19.50, which he used to win his first ACC individual championship. The top time in the NCAA is 18.91, but the second-best is 19.30. On Saturday, Tayla will be the No. 16 seed with a school-record mark of 43.30, which he set during the lead split of the 400 free relay at the ACCs.

McDonald earned the NCAA berth by finishing sixth in the 1-meter event at the Zone B Diving Championships held March 14-16. Even though he only finished 16th in the 3m and 19th in the platform event, he will still be able to dive in those events as well. At the 2008 ACC Diving Championships, McDonald became the first-ever Tech diver, either male or female, to earn All-ACC honors by finishing third in the 1m and platform, while taking fourth in the 3m. He currently holds the school record in the 1m and 3m at 373.95 and 435.15, respectively.

H2Okie fans can follow the live stats provided at http://ncaaswim.com/men08/ and watch live coverage provided at http://www.ncaa.com/swimming-mens/default.aspx?id=444.