GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Simone Manuel will be the top seed in the 50-yard freestyle tonight during the first finals session of the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships. It could be a big night for Manuel, who also helped the 200-yard freestyle relay and 400-yard medley relay teams solidify spots in tonight’s ‘A’ finals.

Manuel swam .03 faster than her 21.57 seed to break her own Stanford record and take the top spot in the 50 free prelims. Wisconsin’s Ivy Martin (21.57) and California’s Farida Osman (21.63) qualified in second and third, respectively.

The freshman from Sugar Land, Texas, is looking to claim Stanford’s first 50 free title since Catherine Fox won three straight 1997-99.

Manuel is not the only member of her family in the postseason today. Her brother, Ryan, is a senior guard for SMU. The sixth-seeded Mustangs take on UCLA in the NCAA tournament this afternoon. 

Stanford is looking to defend its 2014 championships in both the 200 free relay and 400 medley relay. The Cardinal qualified third in both events.

The finals session starts at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. All races will be streamed live at the link above.