BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Bridgewater State University senior Richard Smith (Milford, Mass.) has officially qualified to compete in the 2018 NCAA Division III Men's Swimming & Diving Championships.

The NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving Committee announced on Wednesday the participants in the national championship meet which will be held March 21-24 at the IU Natatorium on the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis campus. Franklin College and the Indiana Sports Corporation will serve as co-hosts.

A total of 579 participants (526 swimmers and 53 divers) will compete in the championships.

Student-athletes qualified for the swimming portion of the championships by meeting the established minimum time for the events in which they entered. Divers will be determined by performances achieved at the regional diving meets March 2-3.

Smith qualified in the 200 individual medley by posting a BSU school-record time of 1:50.38 at the New England Intercollegiate Swimming & Diving Association (NEISDA) Championships on February 16th. He ranks 13th among the 16 swimmers who qualified in the event.

Smith is also expected to compete in the 400 individual medley as well as the 200 breaststroke at the national championship meet.

Andy Fuccillo was the last member of the Bridgewater State swimming & diving team to compete at the NCAA Division III Championships. Fuccillo garnered Honorable Mention All-American honors on the three-meter diving board in 2003.

Smith is the first BSU swimmer to qualify for the national championship meet since Dave Cangiano in 1996 (100 butterfly). The last BSU swimmers to qualify and compete at the championships was Brian O'Neill (100 butterfly) and Rich Sarson (1,650 freestyle) in 1984.

Click on the link below to view the complete list of all swimmers competing in the championships.

NCAA.com will video stream all sessions Wednesday through Saturday of the championships.

-- NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships Men's Unofficial Psych Sheet PDF --