- The US Olympic Swimming Trials will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium from June 15-23.
INDIANKeynoteUSAOLIS – The U.S. Olympic swimming trials will be held June 15-23 in a 50-meter pool set up inside Lucas Oil Stadium. The top two in each event qualify for the Paris Olympics, and usually the top six in the 100 and 200 meter freestyle relays.
In 2021, there were five Indiana natives on the Tokyo team, surpassed by the seven from California.
“The largest swimming competition in history.”How an Olympic-size pool was built inside Lucas Oil Stadium
Swimmers to watch with Indiana ties:
Men
Brian Benzing, UI. The NCAA runner-up in the 100 breaststroke transfers from Towson to Indiana University.
Michael Brinegar, Columbus/IU. Olympian in 2021 in the 800 and 1500 freestyles, finishing second at the US trials in both. Junior open water world champion in 2018.
Brendan Burns, UI. Three-time NCAA champion, including 100 backstroke the last two years. He has never made the US long course pool team.
Wyatt Davis, Carmelo. Last year, in his first national final since 2019, he placed third in the 50 backstroke. In 2022, his most recent collegiate season at Michigan, he placed second in the 100 backstroke in the Big Ten. She was the junior world champion in the 200 backstroke in 2019, winning six medals. Davis, 22, won a record 14 state titles. On January 2, she accepted a three-month suspension from the US Anti-Doping Agency after testing positive on June 30, 2023, for cannabis.
Gregg Enoch, Carmelo. The Louisville signee won the 200 individual medley and 500 freestyle at the state meet, and anchored two winning relays. At East Winter Juniors, he won the 500 free in 4:14.36, which would have broken Jake Mitchell’s public school record if it had been a high school meet.
Isaac Fleig, Fishermen’s Area Swimming Tigers. A Wisconsin native, he took a year off, moved to train in Southern California and then joined the Indiana club. He won the 1,500 freestyle in 15:23.25 at the Indianapolis spring sectional, close to his best time of 15:19.90.
Chris Giuliani, Notre Dame. Bronze medalist in the 4×100 freestyle at the 2023 World Championships. In the NCAA freestyle races, he was fourth in the 50, fifth in the 100, and third in the 200.
Drew Kibler, Carmelo. The former national high school swimmer of the year became Carmel’s first Olympic swimmer, first NCAA individual champion (in Texas) and first World Championship medalist. He has been through three global teams. Training with coach Bob Bowman, who recently left Arizona State for Texas.
Matt King, UI. The 22-year-old will transfer to Indiana after college stints at Alabama and Virginia. He has won SEC and ACC titles, plus six relay medals at the 2023 and 2024 World Championships.
Josh Matheny, UI. Qualified in 100 and 200 breaststroke for the 2023 World Cup, where he won two medals in relays.
Owen McDonald, UI. Transfer from Arizona State to IU. At the NCAA in Indianapolis, he was the third scorer for the champion Sun Devils. Second in the NCAA in the 200 individual medley, third in the 200 backstroke, sixth in the 100 backstroke.
Cody Miller, UI. The 32-year-old remains an active figure in the sport, especially on social media. He won bronze in the 100 breaststroke and gold in the 4×100 medley relay at the 2016 Olympics.
Jake Mitchell, Carmelo. He finished eighth in the 400 freestyle at the 2021 Olympics after memorably meeting the Tokyo standard in the solo time trial at the Olympic Trials. He won a silver medal in the 4×200 freestyle at the 2023 World Championships. His time in the B final of 4:10.48 in the 500 freestyle was fourth-fastest overall in the NCAA.
Will Modglin, Zionsville. Two-time national high school swimmer of the year. Coming off his freshman season at Texas. He won the B final at the NCAA in 44.20 (0.08 slower than the fastest ever by a college freshman) and would have placed fifth in the A final. It was a school record at one of the most famous programs in the swimming.
Blake Pieroni, Chesterton/IU. He came out of retirement in an attempt to make the third Olympic team. The 28-year-old has won three Olympic gold medals and four world golds, all in relays.
Kyle Ponsler, Fishermen. As a North Carolina State sophomore, he placed 10th in the NCAA 400 individual medley with a time that would have placed him sixth in the A final. Former state champion in the 500 freestyle.
Aaron Shackell, Carmelo. The former national high school record holder in the 200 freestyle was a Junior Pan Pac gold medalist in the 200 butterfly. He left the Cal program to train at Carmel for tryouts and then heads to Texas for the 2024-25 college season.
Luke Whitlock, Noblesville/Fishers Area Tigers swimming. The eighteen-year-old has come on strong to become a contender to reach the Olympics in the 800 and 1,500 freestyles, in which he ranks third among Americans this year.
Women
Berit Berglund, Carmelo. After his first season at Texas, he finished ninth in the 100 backstroke at the NCAAs in 50.70. He set a high school state record of 51.50 and was a three-time state champion.
Lynsey Bowen, Carmelo. Gold medalist in the 4×200 relay at the 2023 junior world championships. Junior national champion in the 800 freestyle. Three state titles in the 500 freestyle, two in the 200 freestyle. State record in 500 free.
Lily Christianson, Osceola. State champion in the 50 and 100 freestyle for Penn High School. State record in 50 freestyle. United States Junior Champion in the 50 freestyle. Signatory to the state of North Carolina.
Ellie Clarke, Carmelo. At 14 years old, she is one of the youngest to qualify for the Olympic trials. Junior national champion in the 200 backstroke at age 13.
Mariah Denigan, UI. The distance freestyler has already been part of the Olympic team in 10 km in open water. Sixth in the 10K at the 2023 world championships. Seventh in the 1,650 freestyle in the NCAA.
Kayla Han, Carmelo. Moved from La Mirada, California. The sixteen-year-old was a junior world champion in the 800 freestyle. He represented Team USA at February’s World Cup in Doha. At 13, she was the youngest to compete in the 2021 Olympic Trials.
Lilly King, Evansville/IU. After five Olympic medals, 23 world medals (long and short course) and eight NCAA titles, the 27-year-old is trying to keep the younger swimmers at bay. At the 2023 world championships, she was left out of the medals in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke.
Julie Mishler, Wawasee/Fishing Area Swimming Tigers. He won the 50 freestyle in the March section in 25.07 (No. 8 all-time in the 15-16 age group) and beat Alex Shackell. Mishler also won 50 free at East Winter Juniors.
Kristina Paegle, UI. He had one of the most dramatic finishes in IU history, swimming an anchor 46.65 in the 4×100 freestyle relay to allow the Hoosiers to beat Ohio State by half a point for the Big Ten championship. The Bloomington South sophomore placed 11th in the 100 freestyle at the NCAAs. He holds state records in the 100 and 200 freestyles.
Kelly Pash, Carmelo. She won four medals at the 2023 Pan American Games, including silver in the 100 butterfly and bronze in the 200 butterfly. After a college season at Texas in which she was second in the 200 butterfly and fourth in the 100 butterfly at the NCAAs. She fifth in the 200 fly at the 2021 Olympic Trials. She helped Texas finish second in the 2022, 2023 and 2024 NCAA team standings.
Anna Peplowski, IU. At the NCAAs, she was second in the 200 freestyle (0.07 from first) and third in the 500 freestyle. She is a silver medalist at the 2023 world championships in the 4×200 freestyle relay heats.
JoJo Ramey, Fishermen. After his first season at Florida, he finished 12th in the 200 backstroke at the NCAAs. She is strongest in the long course, having placed seventh at the 2021 Olympic Trials when she was 16 years old.
Alex Shackell, Carmelo. At 16, she was the first in Carmel’s women’s program to win a world medal, taking silver in the 4×200 freestyle anchor relay last year. State champion in freestyle, butterfly, backstroke. At East Winter Juniors, she won the 200 fly in 1:50.15 – the sixth American in history, a record for 17-18 year old girls, and fast enough to have won the 2024 NCAAs.
Further:After another dominant encounter, Carmel teenager Alex Shackell is closer to making Paris dream come true
Molly Sweeney, Carmelo. During his sophomore season, the former football player is 8-for-8 at state. He competed in junior worlds. Double Eastern Winter Youth Champion, including second fastest 200 breaststroke in the 15-16 age group.
“This has never happened before.”Soccer is in her genes, but Molly Sweeney is at home playing pool.
Contact IndyStar correspondent David Woods at endwoods1411@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.
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