---

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Cal Poly junior Peter Kline will have to wait an extra day to begin his quest for All-American honors at the NCAA Division I National Swimming and Diving Championships.

The start of the three-day meet has been delayed 24 hours due to illness in 18 of the student-athletes and one coach. The meet will now begin Friday instead of Thursday.

The decision to delay the start 24 hours came down from the NCAA. The coaches of the respective teams were informed of the decision Wednesday evening.

Kline is seeking to become Cal Poly’s first Division I All-American in over 40 years. On March 10, he became Cal Poly’s first qualifier for the Division I championships since the university’s athletics program was elevated to Division I in 1994.

Kline, a graduate of San Joaquin Memorial High School in Fresno, qualified automatically in the 400 individual medley with the 17th-fastest time in the field and accepted invitations to compete in the 200 individual medley and 200 backstroke.

The meet will be held at The Bill and Mae McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion on the campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.

“Peter has earned it and has worked very hard to attain his goal,” said Mustang swimming and diving coach Tom Milich. “We talked about this when he was a freshman – that this is where he wanted to be. He realized back then that he has an opportunity to be Cal Poly's first All-American as a Division I school."

Former Mustangs Gene Lenz, John (Jack) Adam and Frank Brooks were NCAA Division I All-Americans in the late 1950s and early 1960s before Division II competition was instituted in 1964.

Kline’s best time in the 400 individual medley is 3 minutes, 46.79 seconds. He is 33rd in the 200 backstroke field with a time of 1:44.85 and 51st in the 200 individual medley field with a time of 1:47.86.

All three times are school records. Kline captured Big West Conference titles in the 200 backstroke and 400 individual medley and placed second in the 200 individual medley last month at the Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool in Long Beach.

In the 2009 Big West finals, Kline placed second in the 200 backstroke and fourth in both the 200 individual medley and 400 individual medley, setting school records in all three events.

He was a Mid-Major All-American as a freshman, qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Swim Trials and set new Cal Poly records in the 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke and 400 individual medley.

Kline was a CIF-Central Section champion in the 200 individual medley while attending San Joaquin Memorial High School and set section Division II records in the 200 individual medley and 500 freestyle.

He is an agriculture engineering major concentrating on systems management.

Kline will compete in the 200 individual medley on Friday, the 400 individual medley on Saturday and the 200 backstroke on Sunday.