There was both joy and sadness for the women's swimming and diving team when NCAA Championship invitations were released last Thursday.

Prior to then, only Fran McDermid had secured a spot in the NCAAs, held this Thursday through Saturday in Austin, Texas. There were high hopes for three freestyle relay teams to make the cut as well, but only one of them did.

McDermid is currently seeded 23rd in the 50-yard freestyle, eighth in the 100 free and seventh in the 200.

The 400 free relay team of Deni Rudy, Christy Rourke, Sarah Duttera and McDermid was the only Lady Lion group selected for the NCAAs, and is ranked 12th.

Amy Schmidt will compete on both boards in the diving competition, after finishing second in both the 1- and 3-meter dives at the Prequalifying meet.

Along with the invitations came upsetting news for the Lady Lions' 800 free relay team. The team --Heather Nicholson, Regan Stacey, Rourke and McDermid -- was expected to make the cut for NCAAs, but fell short.

"The more relays that go the better," McDermid said. "I'm on both the 800 and 400 relay teams, and I knew I was already going (to NCAAs), so I was just hoping that (the 800) would make it. But for others, it determined whether or not they'd go."

"I give a lot of credit to Heather and Regan," Coach Bob Krimmel said. "They handled it extremely well.

"We knew early in the week that the 200 (free relay) wouldn't make it, but the 400 and 800 looked like they were going to."

This will be a return trip for McDermid, Rourke and Schmidt. McDermid earned All-American honors as a member of the 400 free relay in her freshman year, and she and Rourke were members of last year's All-American 800 free relay team.