Fiala wraps up career with All-American performance

Tech places 22nd for their second-straight top 25 finish

March 25, 2017

INDIANAPOLIS - In the final swim of his career with Virginia Tech, senior Brandon Fiala finished fourth in the 200 breaststroke to earn the fifth All-American honor of his career on Saturday at the NCAA Championships.

A day after reaching the podium in the 400 IM, senior Robert Owen earned honorable mention All-American honors in the 200 backstroke. In the team standings, the H₂Okies placed 22nd in the nation, the program’s second-consecutive top 25 finish.

“We are proud of our finish and Brandon and Robert have accomplished things within our program that have never been done before,” head coach Ned Skinner said. “More importantly, they have won the right way. I also would like to congratulate Adam Stacklin on his fine career. Everyone contributed to the cause in energy and effort and we have many positives to take into the future. It’s been a fine season and I appreciate the coaches and staff's tireless efforts for this program.”

Fiala swam a 1:52.52 in the prelims and finished fourth in the finals with a time of 1:52.71. The Centreville, Virginia native will leave Blacksburg with five All-American honors.

Owen’s 200 back time in the prelims was a 1:40.15 and placed 12th in the B final with a time of 1:40.31. He finishes his career with six career top 16 finishes at NCAAs.

Finishing just outside the finals in the platform event was junior Thomas Shinholser and sophomore Ben Schiesl. Shinholser scored a 321.55 while Schiesl placed 20th with a score of 320.60.

For updates on Virginia Tech swimming & diving, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_SwimDive