Two members of the Hope swimming teams have qualified for the NCAA Division III championships to be held March 23-26 at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center in Knoxville, Tenn. Sophomores Libby Westrate of Grandville (Grandville HS) and Josh Grabijas of Howell (Howell HS) will each compete in three freestyle events.
° Westrate enters the national competition as the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) champion in the 50, 100 and 200 yard freestyle events. Her best seed is in the 50-yard where she is 10th (:23.59) among 49 entrants. She is also seeded 23rd (:51.83) among 51 entrants in the 100-yard freestyle and 35th (1:53.98) in the 200-yard freestyle. She will be competing at nationals for the second year. Her finishes as a freshman were: 18th in the 50, 19th in the 100 and 34th in the 200
° Grabijas was the MIAA champion in the 500-yard and 1,650-yard freestyle. At nationals his best seed is in the marathon 1,650 at 15th (15:57.27) among 22 qualifiers. He is also seeded 25th (4:36.73) in the 500-yard freestyle and 36th (1:42.31) in the 200-yard freestyle. He will competing at nationals for the second year. His finishes as a freshman were: 18th in the 1,650, 33rd in the 500 and 48th in the 200.