Florida Tech’s Barnea Takes 10th at NCAA Championship
By Florida Tech Athletic Communications // March 12, 2015
First 50 free time in school history under 20 seconds
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Florida Tech sophomore Nir Barnea showed that he belonged at the NCAA Championship on Wednesday, placing 10th overall in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 19.99 at the IU Natatorium on the campus of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
Barnea’s blazing time is the first 50 free time in school history under 20 seconds, breaking his own record that he had set earlier in the day in preliminary competition.
Barnea garnered second in the consolation finals behind Till Barthel of Wayne State.
The Omer, Israel native just missed out on qualifying for the finals, setting the ninth quickest time in prelims. His preliminary time of 20.20 was just two hundredths of a second shy of the eighth and final spot in the finals.
Sophomore Dar Raz was also in competition on Wednesday, representing FIT’s women’s team. Raz placed 46th in the women’s 50-yard freestyle, touching in 24.13.
Barnea and Raz will be back in action on Thursday. Barnea will compete in the 100-yard butterfly, while Raz will race in the 200-yard freestyle.
Links to live video and results are available to the right of this release and also on the men’s and women’s swimming schedule at FloridaTechSports.com
