INDIANAPOLIS - Newcomers Benedetta Pepe Pugliese and Fatima Portillo added their names to the distinguished list on Friday when the duo was invited to take part in the NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships, March 15-18, in Geneva, Ohio.
 
Pepe Pugliese and Portillo are the third and fourth UNC Pembroke swimming student-athletes to secure a spot on the sport's biggest stage, joining teammate Mariel Mencia Martinez who competed in the 50-yard Freestyle at the 2022 NCAA Championships.
 
A native of Avellino, Italy, Pepe Pugliese will compete for a national title in the 200-yard Breaststroke and the 400-yard Individual Medley. The Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year enters the championship holding the 22^nd-fastest time in the 400-yard Individual Medley and the 16^th-fastest time in the 200-yard Breaststroke.
 
Portillo will compete for the 200-yard Butterfly title at the championships, following a third place finished last weekend at the Conference Carolinas Championships. The freshman has the 26^th-fastest time in the event heading into the 
 
The preliminary rounds of 400-yard Individual Medley will be held on Thursday, March 14, at 10 a.m., with the prelims of the 100-yard Breaststroke and the 200-yard Butterfly set for Friday, March 15 at 10 a.m. The championships will be held at the SPIRE Institute Aquatics Center.