November 30, 1999.....Contact: John Kean.....Phone: 573-341-4140

MINERS SEEK NATIONAL QUALIFIERS IN LITTLE ROCK MEET

ROLLA, Mo.--The University of Missouri-Rolla swimming team will attempt to qualify a number of its competitors into the NCAA Division II Championships this weekend when its takes part in the Arkansas-Little Christmas Invitational in Little Rock, Ark.

The Miners, who are ranked third in the latest CSCAA Division II rankings, will compete in a meet that will include Southwest Missouri State University, who beat UMR in a dual meet earlier this month, and three other teams -- Ouachita Baptist, Delta State and Henderson State -- who are ranked among the top 11 teams in Division II. Ouachita Baptist is ranked sixth, while Delta State is eighth and Henderson State is 11th.

UMR had a school record 14 national qualifiers last season and hopes to get eight to 10 of its individuals qualified in this meet. The Miners have two individuals, Dave Belleville (Chesterfield, Mo./Marquette) and Bruno Amizic (Split, Croatia) who have times among the top five in the nation in various events through Nov. 24.

Belleville has the third-best mark in the 100-yard freestyle with a mark of 46.88 seconds, while his time of 21/46 in the 50-free ranks sixth. Amizic owns the fifth-best time in the 100- yard breaststroke at 1:00.05 and sixth-best mark in the 200-breaststroke at 2:10.38.

UMR's 400-yard freestyle relay team of Belleville, David Nurre (Lewisville, Texas), Jeremy Evans (Bloomington, Ill.) and Mike Lach (Shawnee, Kan./Shawnee Mission West) have the second-best time of the season in that event of 3:10.50. Meanwhile, the 200-free relay team of Belleville, Tom Beccue (Mackinaw, Ill.), Nurre and Lach have the sixth-best time in the nation at 1:26.70.

The meet will be the final one for the Miners during the first semester.