Division III Men's Swimming and Diving Championships

Dates and site: The nationals will be at the Holland Community Aquatic Center in Holland, Michigan, March 17-19. Hope College will host the meet.

Field: The maximum number of participants allowed is 225. All qualifiers who have met the "A" standard will be admitted into the meet; those who have met the "B" standard will be considered for the field. No team is allowed more than 18 competitors.

2004 team champion: Kenyon.

Top team contenders: Kenyon, Denison, Emory, Johns Hopkins.

Championships notes: Kenyon won its eighth straight and 20th overall North Coast Athletic Conference championship on the strength of senior Elliot Rushton, who played a role in four victories and was selected as the league's swimmer of the year. Rushton is the defending national champion in the distance freestyles. Andrejs Duda also returns for the Lords, who have won 25 consecutive NCAA team titles. Duda won both butterfly events last year and was a three-time winner at this year's NCAC meet ... Denison finished 148 points behind the Lords in the NCAC championship. The Big Red is counting on Lowell Byers, who won the two freestyle sprints at the NCAC meet, Bryce Peterson and league diver of the year Stephen Julka to contend at nationals ... Emory won the University Athletic Association championship for the seventh consecutive year. Junior Michael Klein took first place in both the one-meter and three-meter diving events. Senior Chris Halstead won both the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke events. Halstead is the defending national champion in the latter. The Eagles have finished either second or third in each of the last five NCAA championships ... Johns Hopkins finished fifth among 24 teams and first of all Division III schools at the Eastern College Athletic Conference championships. The Blue Jays earned 338 points, while Division I Rider University won the meet with 415 points.