Morgan Stickney Crushes Her Own World Record in 400 Free S7 on Day 2 of U.S. Para Swim Trials

2024 U.S. PARA SWIMMING TRIALS

• June 27 – 29, 2024
• Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center — Minneapolis, MN
• 50 meters (LCM)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheet (pre-scratch)
• Day 1 Results
• Day 1 Recap

Two-time Paralympic champion Morgan Stickney crushed her own world record in the 400-meter freestyle S7 on Friday night, taking almost three seconds off the standard with a winning time of 4:51.50.

Stickney previously held the world record at 4:54.28 from the 2023 Para World Championships in Manchester, England, where she broke an 11-year-old record set at the London 2012 Paralympics by nearly five seconds (4:59.02 by Jacqueline Freney). The 27-year-old won the Paralympic title in the 400 free S8 in 2021 and the world title in the same event in 2022 before reclassifying to S7 for last year’s Worlds.

🚨 WORLD RECORD 🚨

Morgan Stickney beat her OWN women's 400m freestyle S7 world record time.

📺 @peacock | #ParaTrials24 pic.twitter.com/esGlyc4QsW

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) June 28, 2024

“The energy on deck is very different than in Tokyo,” Stickney said. “It’s more energetic and fantastic having the crowd here cheering us on. My training is very different from what I was doing leading up to Tokyo, being in the hospital nine days out of the month. I wasn’t expecting to come in and break the world record, it was super unexpected.”

Jessica Long, a 29-time Paralympic medalist, continued her quest for her sixth Paralympics with a victory in the 100 free S8.

“I’m feeling so grateful for my husband and my family being here,” Long said. “I am definitely going through the motions of how do I continuously look for that spark to push me forward. I love swimming and I’ve been a part of it for so long, so it is important to remind myself of the mental toughness that I have always had. For me this Trials is just the stepping stone to the big show, the Paralympic Games in Paris this summer.”

Christie Raleigh Crossley picked up her second win in as many nights at her first U.S. Paralympic Swimming Trials. The 37-year-old mother of three triumphed in the 100 free S9 after earning the 100 back S9 title on Thursday night.

“It is pretty crazy being a solo parent with three children here at trials,” Raleigh Crossley said. “It’s been a bit difficult getting my kids ready before racing and ensuring I am prepared for my races, but great having them here with me. The Paralympic Movement is a second chance to fulfill my childhood dreams of going to the Olympics, but more than that is the opportunity to do that in a more impactful and meaningful way.”

Anastasia Pagonis collected her first victory in Minneapolis in the 400 free S11. Her winning time of 5:12.08 was well off her own world record of 4:54.49 from Tokyo, but still six seconds ahead of runner-up finisher McClain Hermes (5:18.53).

Minnesota native Summer Schmit captured the women’s 400 free S8 crown after placing 7th in the S9 event in Tokyo. The 20-year-old has been training at Minnesota’s Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center for the past couple years, so she’s got a home field advantage of sorts this weekend.

“I am super excited for the rest of the week,” Schmit said. “I have the 200 [individual medley] tomorrow, and I’m now down two races. It has been really nice having one race a day since it’s been a hard couple months of training for me. It’s great to be able to see all my hard work come to fruition.”

Day 2 Winners

• Piper Sadowski (Women’s 200-meter Freestyle S14)
• Trevor Lukacsko (Men’s 200-meter Freestyle S14)
• Connor Gioffreda (Men’s 400-meter Freestyle S6)
• Morgan Stickney (Women’s 400-meter Freestyle S7)
• Evan Austin (Men’s 400-meter Freestyle S7)
• Jessica Long (Women’s 400-meter Freestyle S8)
• Noah Jaffe (Men’s 400-Meter Freestyle S8)
• Summer Schmit (Women’s 400-meter Freestyle S9)
• Carson Bruner (Men’s 400-meter Freestyle S9)
• Alexandra Truwit (Women’s 400-Freestyle S10)
• Anastasia Pagonis (Women’s 400-meter Freestyle S11)
• Olivia Chambers (Women’s 400-meter Freestyle S13)
• Leanne Smith (Women’s 50-meter Backstroke S3)
• Victoria Beelner (Women’s 50-meter Backstroke S5)
• Abbas Karimi (Men’s 50-meter Backstroke S5)
• Zack Shattuck (Men’s 100-meter Freestyle S6)
• Leanne Smith (Women’s 100-meter Freestyle S3)
• Morgan Stickney (Women’s 100-meter Freestyle S7)
• Noah Jaffe (Men’s 100 Meter Freestyle S8)
• Christie Raleigh-Crossley (Women’s 100-meter Freestyle S9
• Gabi Farinas (Women’s 100-meter Freestyle S10)
• Yaseen El-Demerdash (Men’s 100-meter Freestyle S10)
• Anastasia Pagonis (Women’s 100-meter Freestyle S11)