March 23, 2006

ATLANTA, GA. - University of North Carolina freshman freestyler Hank Browning of Cincinnati, Ohio, earned honorable mention All-America honors Thursday night with a 12th-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle at the 2006 NCAA Division I Men's Swimming & Diving Championships at the Georgia Tech Aquatics Center.

Browning qualified for the consolation final Thursday morning when he placed 15th in the prelims with a career best 4:20.20. Browning then improved his career best to 4:20.12 and he moved up three places in the consolation final to take 12th place overall.

In the team standings North Carolina is tied for 26th place after the first day of competition. UNC is tied with BYU and Missouri for that spot with five points each.

Two UNC divers barely missed in their quest to earn honorable mention All-America honors and become the first UNC All-America in men's diving since 1957. Sophomore Ryan Funderburk (Summerfield, N.C.) placed 17th in one-meter diving and junior Jon Fox (Neenah, Wis.) was 19th. The top 16 places earn All-America honors of some kind. UNC qualified two divers for the NCAA Championships for the first time since 1947.

Funderburk and Fox will compete Friday in three-meter diving while Browning still has two faces left -- the 200-yard freestyle Friday and the 1650-yard freestyle Saturday. Browning was the 2006 ACC champion in the 200 free and is seeded No. 23 in the event at NCAA's. Browning placed third in the ACC in the 500 free and sixth in the 1650 free.

Browning has swum a career best time in the 500 in four successive races -- 4:21.48 (ACC prelim), 4:20.36 (ACC final), 4:20.20 (NCAA prelim) and 4:20.12 (NCAA final).

Browning is the fifth fastest individual in the event in Carolina history. He trails Yann deFabrique (4:18.91) in 1993, James Hamrick (4:18.96) in 1993, David Monasterio (4:19.53) in 1991 and Yuri Suguiyama (4:19.52) in 2003.