March 1, 2012

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina sophomore swimmers Amanda Rutqvist and Rachael Schaffer will be making their second straight appearance at the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, as the NCAA has released the official psych sheet.

The meet will be held on March 15-17 at the James E. Martin Aquatics Center in Auburn, Ala.

“This is one of the fastest meets on the planet,” South Carolina head coach McGee Moody said. “It is extremely hard to get selected for this meet. We are very proud of our ladies that got in and know they will represent the Gamecocks well.”

Rutqvist will compete in the 200-yard breaststroke after winning silver at the SEC Championships with the nation’s 17th fastest time of 2:09.48. She placed fifth in the event with a school-record time of 2:07.86 at the NCAA Championships last year, earning All-America honors. Rutqvist also has a provisional qualifying time in the 100-yard breaststroke with the nation’s 37th fastest time (1:01.18). She earned All-America honors in the event as well at last year’s championships.

Schaffer is slated to swim in both the 200 and 400-yard IM. The Baltimore, Md., native has the 30th fastest time in the country in the 200 IM with a mark of 1:58.64. She placed 10th in the event at the SEC Championships and was 28th at last year’s NCAA Championships. Schaffer has the 17th fastest time in the country in the 400 IM after claiming fifth at the SEC Championships with a mark of 4:09.55. She also has a provisional time in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:14.64.

A total of 322 participants (281 swimmers and 41 divers) will compete at the championships. The Gamecock diving participants will be determined on March 5-7 at the NCAA Zone B Championships in Auburn, Ala.