Ecklund Competes At NCAA Championships Starting Wednesday

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Continuing a stellar rookie season, freshman Jesse Ecklund(Missoula, MT) competes in three events this week at the NCAA Championships. The national championship meet is in Greensboro, North Carolina at the Greensboro Aquatic Center and this is the first time Vassar has sent a competitor since Julia Cunningham in 2016. Action runs from March 20-23. Ecklund opens the championship with the 500 freestyle on March 20. At the Liberty League Championships, Ecklund placed first with a time of 5:04.88. She is seeded 39th. On Friday, she participates in the 100 backstroke. Her seed time of 56.79 is a school record and puts her at 31st in the psych sheet. In her best event, Ecklund closes the week on Saturday in the 200 backstroke. She established a school and meet record at the Liberty League Championships with a 2:00.82. That time is currently the fifth-fastest in the nation. Ecklund was named Liberty League Rookie of the Year after taking first in the 200 backstroke and 500 freestyle to go along with a third-place showing in the 100 backstroke at the conference meet. She established four new all-time program bests at the Liberty League Championships, taking part in two record-setting relays (400 medley, 400 freestyle) to go along with individual marks in the 100 and 200 backstroke events.