March 13, 2000.....Contact: John Kean.....Phone: 573-341-4140

MINER SWIMMERS PLACE SIXTH AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

ROLLA, Mo. -- The University of Missouri-Rolla swimming team finished among the top 10 in the nation for the fourth straight year when it came in sixth place over the weekend at the NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships in Buffalo, N.Y.

The Miners, who improved one spot in the team standings from a year ago, had their second- best finish ever at the national meet. The 1997-98 Miners placed third at nationals, but this team had all nine of its members win All-America honors in at least one event; seven of the nine earned the honor in multiple events.

Among the individuals, Bruno Amizic (Split, Croatia) placed third in the 100-yard breaststroke in a school record time of 56.62 seconds, then came in the fourth the following night in the 200-breaststroke in 2:04.59. Dave Belleville (Chesterfield, Mo./Marquette), who earned six All-America awards at the meet, got his only individual honor in the 100-freestyle where he tied for fifth in 46.04 seconds.

Belleville won honorable mention All-America honors in the 50-freestyle when he posted a time of 21.08 seconds, but had a hand in all five relays that placed among the top eight.

The Miners' 400-yard freestyle relay team of Belleville, David Nurre (Lewisville, Texas), Jeremy Evans (Bloomington, Ill./Normal) and Mike Lach (Shawnee, Kan./Shawnee Mission West) had the best finish as it came in third place in a time of 3:04.23. The 200-freestyle relay team that consisted of Belleville, Josh Jolly (Conway, Ark.), Lach and Nurre came in fourth in 1:23.27.

The team of Vanja Dezelic (Zagreb, Croatia), Belleville, Steve Caruso (Florissant, Mo./Hazelwood Central) and Nurre placed seventh in the 800-freestyle relay in 6:52.66.

UMR's medley relay teams had finished of sixth and eighth at nationals. The 400-relay came in sixth with a time of 3:25.29; that team consisted of Jolly, Amizic, Matt Scott (Ballwin, Mo./DeSmet) and Belleville. Mean while,the 200-relay team of Jolly, Evans, Caruso and Belleville placed eighth in 1:34.53.

The Miners had a number of individual earn honorable mention All-America honors in individual events as well. Besides Belleville, Caruso picked up the honors in the 200-butterfly and 400-individual medley; Dezelic did so in the 200-, 500-, and 1,650-freestyle; Evans did in the 100-breaststroke; Jolly in the 100- and 200-backstroke; Nurre in the 200-freestyle; and Scott in both butterfly races.