Update: Meet postponed until Friday at noon.
As was reported earlier today via the collegeswimming.com message boards, a strange, undisclosed ilness has ravaged the Stanford, Arizona, and Texas men’s swimming and diving teams. The University of Arizona has asked that specific swimmers’ names not be published for privacy reasons, but based on speculation at the link above, it includes some of the nation’s top swimmers, and will certainly affect the landscape of this upcoming weekend’s NCAA Championships.
As many as 9 Arizona athletes have been hospitalized, along with at least one report of a top Texas swimmer. The exact swimmers that are out has not been verified by either school’s athletics department, but if they are we will be sure to update them.
In a twist, these three teams, who were all expected to finish in the top 5, all traveled on the same flight. According to Ricky Berens’ twitter feed:
Update: Ohio State and the NCAA has released the following statement regarding the illnesses, as posted on swimnetwork.com:
STATEMENT FROM OHIO STATE AND THE NCAA
OSU athletics department team physician will be available at 7 p.m.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Eighteen student-athletes and one coach have been treated at the Ohio State University Medical Center and the Ohio State Sports Medicine Center for a possible gastrointestinal illness. All of the individuals are in Columbus to participate in the NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships.
The NCAA, the OSU Medical Center, Ohio State University officials and the local Ohio health department are working on the issue. One of the priorities is to ensure all teams and competitors are kept informed of developments and preventive measures.
At this time, the championships will continue as scheduled. The championship venue and facilities have been investigated and approved for use.
Ohio State Athletics Department team physician Dr. Chris Kaeding will be available to meet with the media at 7 p.m. this evening (Wednesday) at the Tom W. Davis Gym in the ground floor of the Recreation and Physical Activities Center (RPAC).