Olivia Bray Will Race 500 Freestyle On Day Two Of Big 12 Championships

2023 BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Wednesday, February 22 – Saturday, February 25, 2023
• Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swim Center, Austin, TX
• Defending Champions:
  • Women: Texas (10x)
  • Men: Texas (26x)
• Live Results
• Live Video
• Championship Central

The heat sheets have dropped for day two prelims at the 2023 Big 12 Championships, revealing that there were no scratches heading into the session.

2023 Big 12 Championships – Day Two Psych Sheets

One significant detail in the heats sheets, however, is that Olivia Bray will be racing the 500 freestyle and will be in the center lane in heat two. The decision to swim the 500 free is in contrast to the decision made last year when she opted for the 200 IM. According to her coach Carol Capitani, Bray had a surprisingly fast 500 freestyle earlier this month at the Sterkel Classic.

Bray swam a best time of 4:40.80 there, which was good enough to get her a third seed at Big 12s. Last year, Bray placed second in the 200 IM at Big 12s with a 1:56.13 and would have a good shot at returning to the podium this year considering her season best of 1:56.14.

Bray has never raced the 500 freestyle at a conference championship or at the NCAA Championships, meaning this will be a debut of sorts for her. Bray kicked off the meet with a solid split in the 800 freestyle relay with a 1:42.91, which made her the only non-first-position swimmer to break 1:44 on her split.

Another interesting aspect regarding Bray’s lineup is that she hasn’t raced the 200 butterfly yet this season, which indicates that she might not race it at NCAAs next month. If that’s the case, it will give her the opportunity to add a “day two” event to her NCAA lineup in the form of either the 200 IM or 500 freestyle.

She has also swum the 100 butterfly, 100 backstroke, and 200 backstroke across her two years of racing for Texas, so if she stuck to those three events in the absence of the 200 butterfly, she may not add the IM or 500. Her other entries at this meet are the 100 butterfly and the 200 backstroke.

Bray will face off against teammates Olivia McMurray, Erica Sullivan, Abby Pfeifer, Mary Smutny, and WVU’s Abby Reardon, among others in the 500 free. Check back in for day two prelims of the Big 12 Championships, which will kick off at 11 am on Thursday.