Date: March 8, 2002
Contact: Greg Murphy (540) 463-8674
Release: Upon Receipt

ERIC RITTER EARNS TRIP TO NCAA SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Sophomore Garners Second Consecutive Trip To Nationals

LEXINGTON, Va. -- Washington and Lee sophomore Eric Ritter (Birmingham, Ala./Mountain Brook) will compete in three events at the NCAA Division III Swimming Championships starting on Thursday, March 21 at the Rec Center on the campus of Miami (Ohio) in Oxford.

Ritter, who is making his second consecutive trip to nationals, will compete in the 100 and 200 Back. His third event of the championships will be either the 200 IM or the 50 Free.

Ritter qualified for the NCAA Championships after winning the 200 Backstroke at the Grove City Invitational in an NCAA "A" cut time of 1:51.91. His time, which shattered the school-record by almost two seconds, is the fifth-best time in Division III this year. He is entered in the event as the number six seed.

Ritter also finished first in the 100 Back at Grove City with a time of 51.58, which was the ninth-best time in Division III this season. He enters the 100 Back as the 10th seed. Ritter's third event of the championships will be either the 200 IM or the 50 Free. He swam a season-best time of 2:05.59 in the 200 IM and recorded a top time of 21.43 in the 50 Free.

At last year's NCAA Championships, Ritter tallied a 15th-place finish in the 100 Back (51.24), a 24th-place finish in the 200 Back (1:57.37) and a 40th-place finish in the 50 Free (22.39).

-- GENERALS --