NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships
University of Tennessee – Allan Jones Aquatic Center – Knoxville, Tenn.
March 15-18, 2023
Championships Central / Schedule

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Representing The Mustangs
A pair of Mustangs are set to represent SMU at the 2023 NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships in Knoxville, Tennessee. On the swimming side, Luana Alonso was invited to compete in the 100-yard butterfly and will also appear in the 200-yard butterfly, while diver Nicole Stambo will take on the field on platform.

The duo is the first to compete at the National Championships since 2019. Erin Trahan and Johanna Holloway qualified for the Mustangs in 2020, before the event was canceled due to the evolving COVID-19 health threat.

Alonso | 100 fly (Friday) / 200 fly (Saturday)
Stambo | Platform (Saturday)

Broadcast Schedule (All Times CT)
Wednesday Finals (5 p.m.)
Thursday Swimming Prelims (9 a.m.) | Thursday Diving Prelims (11:15 a.m.) | Thursday Finals (5 p.m.)
Friday Swimming Prelims (9 a.m.) | Friday Diving Prelims (11:15 a.m.) | Friday Finals (5 p.m.)
Saturday Swimming Prelims (9 a.m.) | Saturday Diving Prelims (11 a.m.) | Saturday 1650 Free Time Trials (2:45 p.m.) | Saturday Finals (5 p.m.)

Alonso is competing at her second NCAA Championships in as many tries after qualifying back-to-back seasons in the 100 fly (30th, 2022 at Virginia Tech). She will also swim the 200 fly, having achieved the NCAA B standard during the season.

The sophomore posted career best times in both the 100 fly (52.08) and 200 fly (1:56.63) this season, ranking her fourth on each of SMU's all-time top performer lists in the events. She earned runner-up honors in both races at the 2023 American Athletic Conference Championships to secure all-conference accolades, and was also on SMU's 200 free relay championship squad. Additionally, she earned all-league nods in the 400 free relay, 200 medley relay and 400 medley relay.

Alonso is ranked 36th on the Psych Sheet in the 100 fly and 44th in the 200 heading into the event.

Stambo took advantage of her final dive at the NCAA Zone D Diving Championships to qualify for her first NCAA Championships. The senior scored 474.40 over prelims and finals of platform to secure a 10th-place finish and qualify automatically.

The 2022 AAC's Most Outstanding Diver, Stambo is a three-time College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-American and a College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District selection. She has posted 11 career NCAA Zone scores, won four individual conference championships and amassed seven All-AAC honors. Stambo has earned seven-career conference diver of the week accolades, and has been named to the AAC All-Academic team three times.
 
The Mustangs are one of five American Athletic Conference programs to qualify for the Championships, and one of only two to send multiple student-athletes (FIU x2; Florida Atlantic, Cincinnati, Rice).

Under Head Coach Steve Collins, the Mustangs have qualified for 35 NCAA Championships dating back to the 1986-87 season. SMU has scored at 33 (2020 canceled) of 38 appearances dating back to the first meet in 1983. The Mustangs also scored four of six seasons at the AIAW Championships (1977-82).

In The Classroom, In The Pool
The Mustangs were named a CSCAA Scholar All-America Team for the fall semester. SMU posted the second highest GPA in the AAC alongside Cincinnati (3.51), only behind FIU at 3.70.

To earn Scholar All-America honors, a program must earn a team grade-point-average of 3.00 or higher. The thirty-three-member Mustang squad boasted a 3.51 GPA for the fall 2022 semester. The mark is up from the Mustangs' 3.45 GPA posted during the 2021 fall semester.

Holt Hickman Outdoor Pool Is Coming To The Hilltop
With a $2.5M gift from the Hickman family, SMU broke ground on a new eight-lane, 50-meter by 25-yard outdoor pool, with 1- and 3-meter diving boards. The $11M project will also include a 20-foot by 40-foot instructional pool that will be used for lessons and rehab/therapy. The addition of the outdoor pool will complete the Robson & Lindley Aquatics Center, making SMU the only University in the country with both indoor and outdoor Olympic pools in one facility, further cementing SMU's swimming and diving facility as one of the finest in college athletics.

Standing In The Hall Of Fame
SMU and SMU Athletics, in conjunction with the SMU Lettermen's Association, inducted the newest SMU Athletics Hall of Fame class on Nov. 4.

Berit Puggaard – Women's Swimming & Diving 1992-96
Puggaard was a four-time NCAA Champion, 13-time Southwest Conference Champion and 25-time All-American and from 1992-96. She helped the Mustangs finish in the top four at the NCAA Championships all four seasons, including a runner-up finish in 1996. Puggaard was a two-time Olympian for Denmark, competing in Barcelona in 1992 and Atlanta in 1996. She also won a bronze medal at the European Championships in 1991 and 1997.

Read about her time at SMU here.

SMU Athletics Launches New Student-Athlete Success Department
As part of its goal of Shaping Champions and preparing students for life, SMU Athletics proudly announced the creation of a new Student-Athlete Success Department. This new department encompasses all student-development-centered efforts such as Life After Ball, SAAC and community service initiatives. Additionally, it will house NIL Education and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programming. Due to a generous donation from Suzanne and Glenn Youngkin, SMU Athletics will be able to grow staffing in these critical areas in our support of our student-athletes.

SMU Athletics Celebrates Record Fundraising Year
The SMU Mustang Club broke the all-time fundraising record with $73 million in gift receipts and new commitments for the 2022 fiscal year, which ended May 31. The totals represent an increase of nearly $47 million from the previous fiscal year. It is the first fiscal year in which cash donations and commitments have eclipsed $70 million since the Mustang Club was founded in 1935. Through the generosity of Mustang donors, cash gifts rose 71% from fiscal year 2021 and totaled $36 million. The best-ever performance resulted from the contributions of 3,105 donors.

Mustang Student-Athletes & NIL
SMU student-athletes benefit from Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) opportunities through SMU Athletics' conference-leading BOLD NIL program. SMU topped the AAC for NIL Deals among INFLCR partners, ranking No. 1 in Total Transactions, Total Transaction Value and Average Transaction Value. To date, SMU student-athletes have over 325 total transactions totaling over $760,000 with an average transaction value of over $2,300.