March 24, 2011
Event: 2011 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships
Site: Minneapolis, Minn. (University Aquatic Center)
Event Website: GopherSports.com (Live results, event schedules)
Next NU Event: Thursday, March 24 -- NCAA Championships Finals Heats
MINNEAPOLIS -- Senior Alex Tyler (Birmingham, Mich./Birmingham Groves) qualified for the consolation final of the 200 Individual Medley during Thursday afternoon's preliminary heats at the 2011 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships hosted by Minnesota.
Tyler lowered his previous career-best in the event by five one-hundredths of a second, touching the wall in 1:44.64 to edge Cal Berkeley's Martti Aljand (1:44.72) for a spot in the consolation finals Thursday evening. Tyler, who came in as the No. 19 seed for the event, will earn 200 IM honorable mention All-American status for the second consecutive year and will have an opportunity to score team points for the Wildcats when he takes to the pool tonight.
Also competing in the 200 IM Thursday afternoon was senior Sean Mathews (St. Louis, Mo./Lafayette), who finished in 1:48.11 to place 49th.
Northwestern's third entrant at the NCAA Championships meet, sophomore Charlie Rimkus (Tustin, Calif./Beckman), completed his first event at the meet, the 500 free. Rimkus finished with the 41st-best time in the preliminary heats, touching in 4:26.35.
Thursday's finals races begin at 7 p.m. CT in Minnesota's University Aquatic Center. For live updates and results, visit the official website of the NCAA Championships linked at the top of the page.
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