AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn had four swimmers selected Wednesday to compete at this year's NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships in Indianapolis. The group consists of senior Santiago Grassi, sophomores Aryan Makhija and Christian Sztolcman and freshman Lleyton Smith.
Sophomore Conner Pruitt also qualified for NCAAs for the second straight year after finishing fourth in the 3-meter competition at Monday's NCAA Zone B Diving Championships.
"I'm really excited for them," Auburn head coach Gary Taylor said. "They worked hard. They grew a lot. They grew closer as a team. They grew a lot as individuals. And I'm really excited to see what transpires when we head up to Indianapolis."
Grassi, the lone senior in the group, is headed back to the NCAA Championships where he earned All-American honors last year with an 11th-place finish in the men's 100 butterfly. Grassi made podium in the same event at this year's SEC Championships, swimming a lifetime best 45.32 to finish second overall.
"I'm really excited to have him with this group of relatively young men," Taylor said. "I'm excited about him stepping up on the blocks and competing for the AU one last time. I know he's ready and more prepared than he's ever been for this competition."
Four of Auburn's five relays also qualified for the NCAA Championships, which means senior Owen Upchurch, sophomore Matthew Yish and freshmen Jack Armstrong and Nik Eberly will also be making the trip as relay alternates.
The 2020 Men's NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships will be held March 25-28 at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis.