March 26, 2010

COLUMBUS, Ohio – South Carolina freshman Michael Flach finished 27th in preliminaries of the 500-yard freestyle on Friday, the opening day of the NCAA Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships being held on the campus of Ohio State University.

Flach, with his time of 4:21.33, did not advance to the evening’s final despite posting his second-fastest time of the season. It took a 4:19.61 to make the consolation final and a 4:17.28 for the championship. Florida’s Conor Dwyer, the 2010 SEC Champion, was the top qualifier at 4:15.20, while SEC runner-up Mark Randall of Alabama missed the finals by .01 seconds at 4:19.62.

The freshman from Annandale, Va., will have two more chances to swim at this weekend’s championships, beginning with the 200-yard freestyle on Saturday. Prelims get underway at noon at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion. Live results and live video are available through NCAA.com.