March 1, 2012

Indianapolis, Ind. - On Wednesday, the NCAA announced its invitees for the 2012 NCAA Women's Swimming & Diving Championship, which will be held March 15-17 at the James E. Martin Aquatic Center in Auburn, Alabama. Among the invitees were Fordham's Brienne Ryan and Richmond's Lauren Hines, who will both compete in the 100-yard backstroke event.

Ryan is the first Fordham female to be invited to the NCAA Championship meet, as she qualified for the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 52.88 seconds en route to a second-place finish at last week's Atlantic 10 Championship. Ryan's time is good for 26th in the country.

Hines is seeded 24th nationally in the 100-yd backstroke with a time of 52.81. Hines captured gold in the event at last week's Atlantic 10 Championship in Buffalo, N.Y. Her mark was just .05 seconds off the conference record she established a season ago.

The 100-yard backstroke event of the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championship is set to take place on Friday, March 16th, with the time trials, beginning at noon, and the final at 8:00 PM.