There are times when a season’s worth of preparation is measured by a few seconds — or fractions thereof.

For University of Hawaii swimmer Yuri Samouilich, qualifying for his first NCAA championship meet came down to a nearly three-second improvement over the past year in the 200-yard freestyle.

For Amund Gismervik, a third straight appearance was decided in the time it takes to plunge 10 meters from platform to pool.

Their performances in those few decisive seconds earned them a cross-country trip to the NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving championships.

The meet officially opened on Wednesday at Georgia Tech’s McAuley Aquatic Complex in Atlanta. Both UH representatives hit the pool on Friday with Samouilich swimming in the 200 freestyle and Gismervik competing in 3-meter diving. Samouilich also qualified in the 100 free on Saturday and Gismervik, a senior, will wrap up his UH career in the platform event.

“It’s the same meet but it’s a little bit different for me,” Gismervik said. “It’s a little bit special because it’s the last meet for me as a college athlete.”

Gismervik claimed bronze in platform diving at the 2014 NCAA championships as a sophomore and placed 12th last year. He earned another trip by finishing fifth in the Zone E Qualifying Championships on March 9 in Flagstaff, Ariz.

Although he’s climbed the stairs to the platform only to plummet into the water countless times, Gismervik said the task still stirs butterflies.

“It’s scary and just overcoming that fear is very exciting,” he said. “There’s a lot of adrenaline in your body. … Sometimes you don’t want to do it at all. But the appeal to me is just the excitement, and it’s just fun, flipping through the air.”

Three years ago, Samouilich left his comfort zone in Israel to pursue college in Hawaii.

After completing his three-year military commitment, he was researching college opportunities in the U.S. when a friend who had attended UH pointed him toward the islands.

“I was talking with other schools but everything felt too big,” he said. “It’s like going for the first time to Walmart, it’s huge. I was talking with him and he was like ‘I feel Hawaii is for you.’ … I’m really glad I made this choice.”

Samouilich, 24, placed third in the 200 free at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championships his first two years at UH, posting a time of 1 minute, 37.35 seconds in last season’s final.

After swimming his leg in the 800 free relay in 1:34.81 in this year’s MPSF meet, Samouilich sensed he had a faster time still locked away.

“I felt I didn’t give everything,” he said, “so my second swim was much faster so that gave me the opportunity.”

Samouilich, a 6-foot-6 junior, claimed gold in the 200 free final on Feb. 19 with a school-record time of 1:34.67, breaking the previous mark of 1:35.90 set in 2004 by Peter Thew.

Samouilich also set a UH record in the 100 free with a time of 43.35, breaking Nick Folker’s time of 43.48 set in 1999. His time was under the qualifying standard for entry into the NCAA meet. Samouilich is the 28th seed out of 53 entrants in the 200 free and 43rd out of 62 in the 100.

Samoulich is also aiming for a spot on Israel’s national team for this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio. The NCAA meet is the culmination of focused sprint work with UH associate coach Jennifer Buffin.

“We set a goal at the beginning of the season and … she was like, ‘it’s your time to go to the NCAAs,’ ” Samouilich said.

That time finally arrives on Friday.