Firestone grad Jonny Marshall ready for NCAA swimming championships: Here's what to know
Akron native and University of Florida freshman Jonny Marshall is set to compete in the NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championship meet this weekend in Indianapolis.
The championship meet began Wednesday and runs through Saturday at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis.
Marshall, a 2023 Firestone High School graduate, qualified for the meet in three individual events: the 100-yard backstroke, the 200 backstroke and the 200 freestyle. He decided to scratch in the 200 freestyle to focus on the two backstroke events. Marshall also is eligible to be selected to compete on a Florida relay in the meet.
When does Florida swimmer Jonny Marshall compete for NCAA championships?
Marshall, a three-time Division I state champion at Firestone, is scheduled to swim Friday in the 100 backstroke and Saturday in the 200 backstroke.
Marshall is seeded second in both events with a time of 44.12 seconds in the 100 backstroke and 1:36.68 in the 200 backstroke. His 44.12 in the 100 backstroke is the fastest time by a freshman in the event in NCAA history.
Each event starts with 32 swimmers in preliminary races. The top 16 swimmers from the prelims advance to the finals.
The prelims are set to start at 10 a.m. and the finals are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday.
The top 16 in each event earn All-American honors, with the top eight on first team and the next eight on second team.
Firestone High School graduate Jonny Marshall won SEC championships, broke a Ryan Lochte record at Florida
The 6-foot-5 Marshall won three SEC championships in February, taking first in the 100 backstroke (44.12), 200 backstroke (1:36.68) and 400 medley relay (3:00.49). He set pool records at Auburn's James E. Martin Aquatic Center in the 100 backstroke and 200 backstroke, and the 200 backstroke is an SEC championship meet record.
Additionally, Marshall broke Ryan Lochte's Florida school record in the 200 backstroke and Adam Chaney's Florida school record in the 100 backstroke.
Marshall helped the Florida men's team win its 12th consecutive SEC championship and 45th SEC title in program history.
Is Akron's Jonny Marshall a potential Olympian?
Jonny Marshall is a dual-nationality citizen who is eligible to compete for Great Britain in the Olympics because his mother, Louise, is British. His father, Steve, is American.
The Marshalls are heading to England on Sunday for the Great Britain Olympic Trials in London. Jonny is scheduled to compete in the 100-meter backstroke on April 3 and the 200 backstroke on April 7.
First-place finishers earn an automatic bid to the Summer Olympics in Paris, and at-large bids are available depending on times across the world.
Are the NCAA swimming championships streaming?
The championship meet is being streamed by ESPN+.
Michael Beaven can be reached at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Florida's Jonny Marshall set to compete for NCAA swimming title