Lake Superior State sophomore swimmer Fedor Mironov has qualified for the NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships, making him the first Laker to qualify for nationals in the sport. His time of 47.44 at the GLIAC Championships placed him at 18th nationally after preselection entries.

“It means the world to me,” said Mironov. “I strive to be the best every day. It was my dream to qualify for nationals, after I didn’t qualify last year. I’ve been working hard all season to get this.”

“Fedor went above and beyond to achieve this time standard and put himself in contention for Nationals,” said Laker Head Coach Tim O’Neill. “He’ll have multiple chances to compete over the week, and we look forward to seeing his results.”

“I feel like Coach O’Neill had a huge impact on me throughout the year,” said Mironov. “He’s a really great coach. Because of him, all my times went down and I achieved a lot of the goals I have this year.”

Mironov also hit the NCAA Division II B standard in the 50 and 100 Yard Freestyle races, which means he will also compete in prelims across three separate days. The NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships take place from March 10th through the 14th at the Deaconess Aquatic Center in Evansville, IN.

The sophomore won the 100 Yard Freestyle at the Shark Invitational on December 19th, beating his own previous best mark by nearly a full second. Mironov then earned the first medal in program history with a third place finish in the event at the GLIAC Championships.

“He’s taken tremendous steps forward in his swimming career this year,” said O’Neill. “The more he continues to make adjustments and prioritize the right things in the water, the more he can expect to compete at the highest levels in Division II.”

Mironov’s best time in the 50 Yard Freestyle came at the GLIAC Championships preliminaries. He hit the NCAA Division II B Qualifying standard several times during the Lakers season. He also met that standard three times for the 100 Yard Butterfly. All three were personal-best swims.

Fans can watch Fedor compete at the NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships at the NCAA’s website at no cost. He will compete in 50 Free on Wednesday, March 11; the 100 Butterfly on Thursday, March 12; and the 100 Yard Freestyle on Saturday, March 14. Preliminary races begin at 10:00 AM EST, with final races at 5:30 PM EST.

“I’m really excited,” he said. “I don’t know what to expect from there. It’s probably the biggest meet I’ve had in my life, and I’ll try to do my best.”