DCST’s Ellie Andrews, 13, Qualifies for Olympic Trials in 100 Breast

Thirteen-year-old Ellie Andrews of the Dublin Community Swim Team (Ohio) has qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 100 breast this weekend, and she adds her name to a list of incredibly talented youngsters that will compete in Omaha next weekend.

At the Jerry Holtrey Summer Classic in Geneva, Ohio, Andrews swam a 1:11.40 in the 100m breaststroke to get under the Olympic Trials cut by nine hundredths. She swam a 1:12.45 in prelims, which was already a two-second drop from her previous best. In finals she put up the 1:11.40 that earned her her first OT cut.

• Andrews (prelims): 33.81/38.64 (1:12.45)
• Andrews (finals): 33.31/38.09 (1:11.40)

She was faster on both 50’s in finals, but was slightly stronger on the back end, comparatively, with over a half second drop from her morning swim’s back end. Coming in to this meet, Andrews had a best time of 1:14.46. The improvement curves of young swimmers can be very hard to predict, which adds to the mysteries lurking at the upcoming Olympic Trials– which teenagers that we’ve been keeping tabs on (or, more interestingly, which ones that we don’t have on our radars) will make statement swims in Omaha?

Questions aside, let’s learn a little more about Ellie Andrews. The DCST breaststroker does rank in the 11-12 NAG top 100– she sits at #61 in the 50m breast and tied for 74th (with a certain Caitlin Leverenz) in the 100m breast. She also ranks t-56th for the 50y breast. Those are impressive numbers, but her swim from today puts her much higher up in the 13-14 rankings.

Andrews put up the 73rd best time in 13-14 age group history with her prelims time of 1:12.45, and now ranks #29 with her 1:11.40 from this weekend. She turned 13 sometime in December-January, based on the ages listed with her times in the USA Swimming database, so she still has six months or more until she turns 14, and a year after that until she’s done with the 13-14 age group.

Andrews will be one of four 13-year-old swimmers at Trials– NAC’s Gretchen Walsh, who qualified in the 50 free this weekend, will be the youngest. Phoebe Bacon of Nation’s Capital Swim Club and Tristen Ulett of Dynamo are the other two 13-year-olds, while several other girls qualified when they were 13 but are or will be 14 come Trials.