Grant Leads Four Swimmers Bound for National Championships

PROVO -- BYU swimmers Rachel Grant, Candice Smith, Kassandra Bisbo and Aleesha Miller will be traveling to California this week to participate in the Conoco Philips National Championships.

The Conoco Philips National Championships is being held Aug. 3-7 at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center in Irvine, Calif. Swimmers from all over the country are going to compete for top spots in national records.

Veteran Grant will be competing in the 200 butterfly as well as the 400 and 200 IM. Smith is competing the 100 and 200 backstroke. Bisbo will be racing in the 100 breaststroke while Miller will be competing in the 50-meter freestyle. Having great successes this past season, the Cougar swimmers are looking to compete hard and bring home some wins.

Grant had a stellar year placing 44th in the 200 IM, 28th in the 400 IM and 25th in the 200 butterfly at the NCAA National Championships. She was named All-Mountain West Conference and MWC Co-Swimmer of the Year for her performance at the MWC Championships. Smith had some great successes this past year as well. She was named to the MWC All-Conference team for her performances in the 100 and 200 backstroke, gaining her two personal-record times of 54.80 and 1:57.09.

Bisbo was named All-MWC for her fourth-place finish in the 100 breast with her time of 1:02.74. Miller was named All-MWC for her 50 and 100 freestyle performances where she received two all-time records for the conference with her times of 22.66 (50 free) and 49.67 (100 free).

Accompanying the swimmers to the Conoco Philips National Champs are coaches Stan Crump, John Brooks and Keith Russell.