FAIRFAX, Va. – George Mason will have two Patriots competing at the USA Swimming AT&T Winter National Championships, with senior Sydney Fisher and junior Alec Morin swimming at Georgia Tech's McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, Ga.

More than 400 swimmers, including five members of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Swimming Team, will compete in the meet for short-course yards national titles from Nov. 30 through Dec. 3.

A live webcast of the meet is available online at usaswimming.org.

Fisher, a native of Richmond, Va., will compete in the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly.  This season, Fisher has posted a total of 11 wins in those three events combined.  She has won the 50-yard freestyle five times, the 100-yard butterfly four times and the 100-yard freestyle twice.

"It's very special and it has been a while since we have had someone in the sprint freestyle events and the butterfly who is setting this many records this early in the season," Mason head coach Peter Ward said.  "To take Sydney to a national championship where it's going to be a tough field with Olympians and international swimmers competing will be exciting."

At the Patriot Invitational held Nov. 17-19 at the Jim McKay Natatorium, Fisher was first in the 50-yard freestyle (22.70) on day one, won the 100-yard butterfly (53.10) on the second day and claimed the top spot in the 100-yard freestyle (49.67) on the final day of competition. 

Fisher established career-best times, along with meet and team records in all three events.  She also established a new Atlantic 10 Conference record in the 100-yard butterfly with her time of 53.10, breaking the previous A-10 record of 53.32 that was set 11 years ago.  

"Sydney's improved every year and she's gotten stronger in the weight room and she's become more powerful in the water," Ward said.  "This year she committed to training over the summer and through the Olympic trials.  That's made a big different and it's showing this fall."

Fisher didn't have the chance to compete in the Winter National Championships each of the last two seasons.  This year she had hopes that Ward would feature some Mason swimmers in the meet.

"I was really crossing my fingers this year that he would take a few of us," Fisher said.  "Coach and I had a discussion last week to see whether or not it would be a good idea for me to go.  I told him I wanted to go there and race the big dogs.  There are going to be Olympians there and it's going to be an awesome meet.  I get to go with a teammate so it's going to be a great experience."

Morin, from Fredericksburg, Va., will also make the trip and compete in the men's 50-yard freestyle.  This season, he has recorded five first place finishes and three second place finishes for the Patriots.

"I'm excited to see Alec swim in the Winter National Championships," said Ward.  "He doesn't get to swim the 50 free as much as he would like, so this is an opportunity for him to focus on that race against a very tough field."

Morin won the 50-yard freestyle at the Richmond Duals on Oct. 21 with a time of 21.32 and placed eighth in the event at the Patriot Invitational with a season-best time of 20.76. 

"It's going to be a championship format and it will be fun to go out and give it a shot," Morin said.  "I've been practicing hard with the speed work and there are only so many chances like this.  The more opportunities you have to swim in that kind of environment helps you prepare for conference.  I've never been to a meet of this caliber, so to go there and race with some of the top swimmers in the sport will be fun." 

The meet opens Wednesday with a relay-only session at 6 p.m.  There will be daily preliminaries and finals Thursday, Dec. 1 through Saturday, Dec. 3 with prelims scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. and finals slated to begin at 5 p.m.  Saturday finals are scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.

"I want Sydney and Alec to enjoy the experience and to get better from having the chance to race some of the fastest swimmers in the world," Ward said when asked what he hopes his swimmers will take away from the meet.  "It's time to go swim against some of the best in the world and hopefully in the spring we have a chance to do it again in an NCAA championship."

The Patriots are back in action when they travel to compete in the Orange Bowl Classic in Key Largo, Fla. on Jan. 3.