SPOKANE, Wash. -- Four Whitworth swimmers will compete at the 2009 NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships at the University of Minnesota. Natalie Turner and Ashley Lecoq are returning to the championships, while Rory Buck and Michael Woodward make their first appearance.

Natalie Turner	Ashley Lecoq

Turner (Jr., South Lake Tahoe, Calif.) will compete in the 200, 500 and 1,650-yard freestyle events. She is seeded second in the 200 with a time of 1:50.58, fifth in the 500 with a time of 4:57.57, and 6th in the 1,650 with a time of 17:11.88. Last season Turner finished fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively, in the same three events. She is a six-time All-American during her Pirate career.

Lecoq (So., Renton, Wash.) will compete individually for the first time at the championships. Last season she was part of three freestyle relays that scored. This year she is seeded 56th in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 24.41, 18th in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 57.29, and 22nd in the 200 fly with a time of 2:07.29.

Michael Woodward	Rory Buck

Woodward (So., Springfield, Ore.) provisionally qualified in three events last season, but did not have quite fast enough marks to make it into the meet. He improved his times this season and will compete in the same three events he won at the Northwest Conference Championships last month. He is seeded 22nd in the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:33.08, 18th in the 200 freestyle in 1:40.62, and 31st in the 100-yard freestyle in 45.76.

Buck (Fr., Dubai, U.A.E.) was able to qualify, despite suffering a severe respiratory illness during the NWC Championships last month. He is seeded 59th in the 50 freestyle with a time of 21.17, 29th in the 100-yard breaststroke in 57.23 and 15th in the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:04.12.

The 2009 NCAA meet, the first in which the men and women will compete together, is being hosted by Macalester College at the U of M Aquatic Center on March 18-21.

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