22 New Olympic Trials Qualifiers Emerge at Pro Swim Series – Austin

Over the weekend at the Arena Pro Swim Series – Austin, 22 new swimmers booked their tickets to the 2016 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in Omaha, Nebraska by swimming their first times under the Olympic Trials qualifying standards.

Not all of these swam best times, necessarily, but they all swam best times within the range of the qualifying period that began on July 30th, 2014 and included both Junior Nationals and Nationals in Irvine.

In addition to those 22 swimmers, 26 others added Olympic Trials qualifications in new events. This includes some of the true heavyweights of swimming, who haven’t necessarily swum many of these races in long course since the Olympic qualifying period opened.

That list includes Olympic gold medalists Katie Ledecky (200 IM), Matt Grevers (200 back), Tyler Clary (400 free), Ryan Lochte (400 IM), Natalie Coughlin (100 back), and Elizabeth Beisel (800 free); plus other big national stars like Megan Romano (200 free, 100 back, 200 back), Emily Brunemann (800 free), Katie McLaughlin (200 free), and Andrew Gemmell (400 IM).

Editor’s note: this list originally included Anna Belousova from Asphalt Green as a new qualifier. She is not eligible to represent the United States, which reduces the number of new Olympic Trials qualifiers from 23 to 22.

A few highlights:

• Texas A&M sophomore Sarah Gibson earned Olympic Trials standards in three different events by going best times in the 200 free (2:01.82), 400 free (4:16.54), and 800 free (8:49.32). Previously, she had no times faster than the Olympic cuts either within or outside of the qualifying period.
• Purdue commit Haley Rowley of the Denver Hilltoppers pulled off a similar feat. She swam lifetime bests in 6 events, including three that are Olympic Trials qualifying times: 200 back (22:14.87), 400 IM (4:49.86), and the 800 free (8:47.63).
• 13-year old Kate Douglass from the Westchester Aquatic Club in New York swam a 2:34.71 in the 200 meter breaststroke to earn her first Olympic Trials qualification. Douglass was named an honorable mention swimmer in the 11-12 age group for 2014.
• There was a good list of comeback kids in Austin, besides the obvious ones like Olympic Champion Kirsty Coventry (who swims for Zimbabwe and thus is not eligible for these lists). Among the more subtle names making a little comeback appearance and qualifying for the Olympic Trials include: former NCAA Champion at Texas Eric Friedland (100 breast – 1:02.99); former Toledo All-American Laura Lindsay (100 breast – 1:10.46); and former Big Ten freshman of the year at Indiana Taylor Wohrley.

New Olympic Trials Qualifiers

Old Qualifiers, New Events

Just For Fun, Better Seeds for Old Events