The Olympics are the pinnacle of an athletic career. It is what athletes all over the
Brandon Fisher
world grow up dreaming about accomplishing. This summer, London will host the Olympic Games, and welcome thousands of athletes from all around the world. The University of Wyoming has already qualified one wrestler for the games, and now swimmers look to add their name to the list Olympians.
Five UW swimmers qualified for the Olympic trials based on their performances this past year. Senior Brandon Fischer, sophomore Jayce Calhoon, and freshman Jordan Turner qualified on the men’s side while senior Kelsey Conci and sophomore Morgan Hartigan qualified on the women’s side. The athletes will travel to Omaha, Neb. to compete on June 25–July 2.
The five swimmers are the most that UW has qualified since 2000. In 2004, Scott Usher was able to go on to qualify for the Sydney Olympics. The UW team will swim at a few more meets this summer hoping to qualify a few more athletes.
“This sport is so fast, so competitive, so deep and ever-evolving,” head swim coach Tom Johnson said. “The number of athletes we qualified is just a statement to our year and how hard we worked.”
Johnson explained that in order to qualify for the trials the athletes had to make an Olympic cut time in an Olympic size pool, which is 50 meters rather than the 25 meter pool that most schools have. The team has had minimal opportunity to train, let alone compete, in an Olympic size pool as the only one in Wyoming is located in Gillette. All the meets the team will compete in this summer will be in 50 meter water.
Conci is currently ranked 78th in the world, and 20th in the United States, in the 100 backstroke. “Kelci has got a strong chance to make it in the top eight,” Johnson said. “Once you get to the finals, anything can happen for any of these athletes.” Conci will also compete in the 50 and 100 freestyle.
Johnson also said that Fischer has a great chance to get back to semi-finals in the 200 breast, a race that he broke records in this past season. “His main deal is handling the pressure,” Johnson said. Fischer will also compete in the 100 breaststroke and 200 individual medley.
Calhoon will compete in the 200 backstroke and Turner will compete in the 200 IM. Hartigan will swim the 100 breast.
All of these events will have a preliminary race which will narrow the field down to 16 for the semifinals. The top eight in the semi-finals will qualify for the finals. Six athletes will qualify for the Olympic team in the 100 and 200 freestyle. Just two athletes will qualify in all other events.
“26 women and 26 men will make the Olympic squad out of the 2,000 athletes showing up to compete,” Johnson said. “The events are loaded with past Olympians and legends in the sport. If we want to make it we will more than likely have to knock one of them out. But anything can happen once you get to finals.”
