Junior Lindsey Inkrott and sophomore Jill Chapman receive bids to swim at the 2015 NCAA III Women's Swimming & Diving Championships

By Tim Glon

ADA — Ohio Northern junior Lindsey Inkrott and sophomore Jill Chapman were selected to participate at the 2015 NCAA Division III Women's Swimming & Diving Championships March 18-21 at the Conroe Natatorium in Shenandoah, Tex.

Inkrott qualified for the championships as the 16th and last swimmer in the 100 back, where she set an Ohio Athletic Conference and ONU record :56.55 at last weekend's OAC Championships.

The top eight swimmers in each event earn All-America honors, while swimmers in places 9-16 in each event earn Honorable Mention All-America accolades.

She will also be eligible to compete in the 200 back, where she is currently 25th with a season best 2:04.31, and in the 50 free, where hse is 45th of 49 at :24.55.

Athletes qualify for the meet in individual events, but once in the meet they are eligible to compete in other events as an optional-entry competitor.

Chapman qualified for the meet in the 50 free, when she shattered the ONU record with a :23.22 clocking earlier this season at the Wooster Invitational in December.

She is currently seeded fourth out of 49 swimmers in the event.

She is also eligible to compete in the 100 free, where she is ranked 46th of 53 with a mark of :52.27, and in the 100 back, where she is currently seeded 31st of 32 in :59.80.

"Getting two women on this stage is awesome," ONU head coach Peggy Ewald said. "We've been so close so many times, but finally the opportunity is before us. We knew going into OAC's Jill was in the NCAA meet so she wasn't tapered fully for conference. Her taper meet will be on the national stage. She's a great athlete who took care of business in the off season to set herself up for this opportunity. It's exciting to see her get there. It demonstrates to the rest of the team you can achieve the goals you set when you execute the plan all year.

"Lindsey has qualified for her third season, but to finally get in, is exciting. She knows the challenge ahead to repeat performances within 3 weeks of OAC's will take hard work over the next few weeks. She'll rise to the task. I'm happy to see the women's team reach a new level, it will help open that door to more next season. We've had more NCAA cuts this season than ever, equally on both sides, men's & women's, that's progress."

The Polar Bears finished second this season at the 2015 OAC Championships last weekend.