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Photo by: Brad Rempel
Preview: Gophers Ready for Wave II of Olympic Trials
6/11/2021 11:13:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
In order to maintain a safe viewing experience for all those in attendance, USA Swimming has confirmed that the venue seating map of the CHI Health Center has been reconfigured to reduce the daily session attendance capacity to approximately 50 percent. Tickets to the event can be purchased through TicketMaster and can be through the link above.
"For most swimmers at Olympic Trials, this will be the biggest stage that they will compete on in our sport," said University of Minnesota head coach Kelly Kremer. "I couldn't be more excited to watch our Golden Gophers compete this week in Omaha. It's a great opportunity for all of them to see if they can reach the biggest stage of all."
WHEN/WHERE TO TUNE IN
With limited capacity allowed in the venue, the entirety of the championships will be streamed through NBC Olympics channels, specifically NBCOlympics.com, Olympic Channel, NBCSN/Peacock and NBC. Links to each day's coverage, along with the dates and start times (CT) can be found below.
MAROON & GOLD QUALIFIERS
A total of six Gophers have secured their spot in the Olympic qualifying event, with three alumni and three current student-athletes making the cut. Of the three current Gophers, Max McHugh (100/200 breast), Abbey Kilgallon (400/1500 free) and Sawyer Grimes (400/800/1500 free), only McHugh has competed in an Olympic trial before, doing so at the 2016 trials when he was only 16 years-old.
McHugh's only event of those 2016 trials was the 100 breast, in which he finished 85th in a time of 1:03.60. In the time that has passed since, McHugh has filled out one of the most decorated and impressive collegiate resumes of anyone in the nation. His last season with the Maroon and Gold was as impressive as ever, including sweeping the breaststroke events at the 2021 NCAA Championships (becoming only the second Minnesota swimmer in history to win more than one event at NCAAs), tallying the top six swims in the 100 breaststroke over the 2021-22 season, being named the 2021 Big Ten Conference Swimmer of the Year, re-setting the Minnesota team records in the breaststroke events (50.18/1:49.02) or a number of other achievements along the way.
As for Grimes and Kilgallon, the duo will be making their Olympic debuts at this year's trials. Grimes was a breakout star for the Gophers in his 2020-21 freshman season, recording some of the best Big Ten Championships finishes of anyone on the team with three finishes within the top-16 and even pulling in a Big Ten Freshman of the Week award in early February for finishing top-two in all three of his events during the Iowa dual. He also managed to collect three NCAA 'B' cut times over his first season in the Maroon and Gold, coming in the 400 IM, 500 free and 1650 free. Grimes has been considered an explosive athlete since his time with the Sandpipers of Nevada and was touted as one of the best prospects the Gophers have added in years.
Kilgallon's last year has looked significantly different than her fellow trials-qualified Gophers, as she has only competitively swam at a total of three meets. With those few opportunities, however, Kilgallon has been achieving an impressive amount of feats. Perhaps the most impressive was her performance at the TYR Pro Swim Series event in Indianapolis in mid-May, when the Bridgewater, N.J. came in nearly seven full seconds under the Wave II standard time in the 1500 free (16:37.78) to secure her spot in the trials this coming week.
The three alumni looking to secure their spots on the 2021 U.S. Olympic team are eight-time All American and NCAA runner-up Bowe Becker (50/100 Free), 11-time All-American and NCAA runner-up Lindsey Kozelsky (100/200 Breast), and nine-time All-American Tevyn Waddell (100/200 Back, 100 Fly), all three of whom were selected to an International Swimming League (ISL) roster for the 2020 season. Between the three, they hold a grand total of 13 Minnesota team records, 28 All-American honors and five individual Big Ten Championship titles. All three made an Olympic Trials appearance in 2016, while only Kozelsky competed at the 2012 trials.
In Kozelsky's Olympic trials debut she managed an 88th place finish in the 100 breast (1:12.48) at only 15 years-old. The Albert Lea, Minn. native then made major strides in 2016, finishing 19th overall in the 100 breast (1:08.82) and 29th overall in the 200 breast (2:31.41).
Becker, a Las Vegas, Nev. native, was a force at the 2016 Olympic Trials at only 18 years-old, clinching a spot in the semifinals of the 50 free where he ultimately finished 12th (22.31). He would also add a 22nd place finish in the 100 free (49.84) a few days later to help cement his name as one of the strongest sprint freestylers in the nation, a legacy which he hopes to improve on in Omaha this week.
As for Waddell, she will be making the second Olympic trials appearance of her career as well, after finishing the 100 back, 200 back and 100 fly in 69th (1:03.16), 94th (2:18.37) and 79th (1:01.24), respectively in 2016. Waddell was also only 18-years-old in her Olympic trial debut.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Below is a full breakdown of the dates on which a Minnesota Gopher will be competing at the trials and the respective athletes competing in each event.
Sunday, June 13
W 100 Fly (Prelim/Semis) // Tevyn Waddell
M 400 Free (Prelim/Finals) // Sawyer Grimes
M 100 Breast (Prelim/Semis) // Max McHugh
Monday, June 14
W 100 Back (Prelim/Semis) // Tevyn Waddell
W 100 Breast (Prelim/Semis) // Lindsey Kozelsky
W 400 Free (Prelim/Finals) // Abbey Kilgallon
W 100 Fly (Finals) // Tevyn Waddell
M 100 Breast (Finals) // Max McHugh
Tuesday, June 15
W 1500 Free (Prelim) // Abbey Kilgallon
W 100 Back (Finals) // Tevyn Waddell
W 100 Breast (Finals) // Lindsey Kozelsky
Wednesday, June 16
M 100 Free (Prelim/Semis) // Bowe Becker
M 200 Breast (Prelim/Semis) // Max McHugh
M 800 Free (Prelim) // Sawyer Grimes
W 1500 Free (Finals) // Abbey Kilgallon
Thursday, June 17
W 200 Breast (Prelim/Semis) // Lindsey Kozelsky
M 800 Free (Finals) // Sawyer Grimes
M 200 Breast (Finals) // Max McHugh
M 100 Free (Finals) // Bowe Becker
Friday, June 18
W 200 Back (Prelim/Semis) // Tevyn Waddell
W 200 Breast (Finals) // Lindsey Kozelsky
Saturday, June 19
M 50 Free (Prelim/Semis) // Bowe Becker
M 1500 Free (Prelim) // Sawyer Grimes
W 200 Back (Finals) // Tevyn Waddell
Sunday, June 13
M 50 Free (Finals) // Bowe Becker
M 1500 Free (Finals) // Sawyer Grimes
WAVE I RESULTS
One current and one future Gopher represented the Maroon and Gold at Wave I of the trials earlier this week, both of whom were making their Olympic trials debuts.
The first of the two to touch the water was senior and Minnesota distance star Cameron Kelley, whose sole event was the 400 free. Though Cam put up a decent time of 4:04.53 in the first heat of the event, it ultimately earned him 19th place finish overall and he would miss the finals session. The following day, future Gopher Lyndsey Wehr took on the women's 50 free, where she finished tied for 53rd in a time of 26.80. Wehr will be joining the Gophers for the 2021-22 season as a freshman.
INTERNATIONAL TRIALS
Internationally, there are a number of Gophers vying for the chance at representing their home countries as well.
At the 2021 Israeli Olympic Trials, 2021-22 freshman Bar Soloveychik will be looking to earn his spot in Tokyo this summer. Soloveychik, a mid-distance freestyle star and Israeli national record holder, will be taking on the 200, 400 and 800 freestyle events, needing to hit the FINA 'A' cut standard time to qualify for the team. Those trials will take place from June 11-14.
A pair of Canadian Gophers will be taking their shots at making it to Tokyo as well, as NCAA Champion and 2016 Rio Olympic Finalist Kierra Smith and 2021-22 freshman Hannah Cornish will be competing at the 2021 Canadian Olympic Trials from June 19-23. The event will be held in Toronto, Ontario at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre.
Smith is already well rounded in the Olympic atmosphere, having represented her home country in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. There, the Kelowna, British Columbia product managed to qualify for the finals session of the 200 breast, where she ultimately finished seventh. She also competed in the 100 breast for Canada, just missing the semifinal round with a 19th place finish in prelims. At this year's trials, Smith will be competing in the same two events, and will enter the competition as a top-three seed in each.
Cornish, who will be joining the Gophers as a freshman in the 2021-22 season, has three events on her docket for the coming trials, as she will compete in the 50 free, 100 free and 200 IM. Though seeded sixteenth in both the 100 free and 200 IM, she will enter the competition as the sixth seed in the 50 free, and will likely see most of her success there.
- Six Gophers will be competing at Wave II of the 2021 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials this upcoming week in Omaha, Neb.
- The event will span from Sunday, June 13 to Sunday, June 20, and will be held at the CHI Health Center.
- Social Media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
In order to maintain a safe viewing experience for all those in attendance, USA Swimming has confirmed that the venue seating map of the CHI Health Center has been reconfigured to reduce the daily session attendance capacity to approximately 50 percent. Tickets to the event can be purchased through TicketMaster and can be through the link above.
"For most swimmers at Olympic Trials, this will be the biggest stage that they will compete on in our sport," said University of Minnesota head coach Kelly Kremer. "I couldn't be more excited to watch our Golden Gophers compete this week in Omaha. It's a great opportunity for all of them to see if they can reach the biggest stage of all."
WHEN/WHERE TO TUNE IN
With limited capacity allowed in the venue, the entirety of the championships will be streamed through NBC Olympics channels, specifically NBCOlympics.com, Olympic Channel, NBCSN/Peacock and NBC. Links to each day's coverage, along with the dates and start times (CT) can be found below.
| 2021 U.S. Olympic Swimming Team Trials - Wave II (Omaha, Neb.) | |||
| Date | Competition | Time (CT) | Network |
| June 13 | Prelims | 10 a.m. | NBCOlympics.com |
| Prelims** | 4:30 p.m. | NBCSN // Peacock* | |
| Semis/Finals | 7 p.m. | NBC | |
| June 14 | Prelims | 10 a.m. | NBCOlympics.com |
| Prelims** | 5:30 p.m. | NBCSN // Peacock* | |
| Semis/Finals | 7 p.m. | NBC | |
| June 15 | Prelims | 10 a.m. | NBCOlympics.com |
| Prelims** | 5:30 p.m. | NBCSN // Peacock* | |
| Semis/Finals | 7 p.m. | NBC | |
| June 16 | Prelims | 10 a.m. | NBCOlympics.com |
| Prelims** | 5:30 p.m. | NBCSN // Peacock* | |
| Semis/Finals | 7 p.m. | NBC | |
| June 17 | Prelims | 10 a.m. | NBCOlympics.com |
| Prelims** | 5:30 p.m. | NBCSN // Peacock* | |
| Semis/Finals | 7 p.m. | NBCSN // Peacock* | |
| Semis/Finals** | 9 p.m. | NBC | |
| June 18 | Prelims | 10 a.m. | NBCOlympics.com |
| Prelims** | 5 p.m. | NBCSN // Peacock* | |
| Semis/Finals | 8 p.m. | NBC | |
| June 19 | Prelims | 10 a.m. | NBCOlympics.com |
| Prelims** | 5:30 p.m. | NBCSN // Peacock* | |
| Semis/Finals | 8 p.m. | NBC | |
| June 20 | Semis/Finals | 7 p.m. | NBC |
| *Requires Peacock Premium | |||
| **Delayed Coverage | |||
MAROON & GOLD QUALIFIERS
A total of six Gophers have secured their spot in the Olympic qualifying event, with three alumni and three current student-athletes making the cut. Of the three current Gophers, Max McHugh (100/200 breast), Abbey Kilgallon (400/1500 free) and Sawyer Grimes (400/800/1500 free), only McHugh has competed in an Olympic trial before, doing so at the 2016 trials when he was only 16 years-old.
McHugh's only event of those 2016 trials was the 100 breast, in which he finished 85th in a time of 1:03.60. In the time that has passed since, McHugh has filled out one of the most decorated and impressive collegiate resumes of anyone in the nation. His last season with the Maroon and Gold was as impressive as ever, including sweeping the breaststroke events at the 2021 NCAA Championships (becoming only the second Minnesota swimmer in history to win more than one event at NCAAs), tallying the top six swims in the 100 breaststroke over the 2021-22 season, being named the 2021 Big Ten Conference Swimmer of the Year, re-setting the Minnesota team records in the breaststroke events (50.18/1:49.02) or a number of other achievements along the way.
As for Grimes and Kilgallon, the duo will be making their Olympic debuts at this year's trials. Grimes was a breakout star for the Gophers in his 2020-21 freshman season, recording some of the best Big Ten Championships finishes of anyone on the team with three finishes within the top-16 and even pulling in a Big Ten Freshman of the Week award in early February for finishing top-two in all three of his events during the Iowa dual. He also managed to collect three NCAA 'B' cut times over his first season in the Maroon and Gold, coming in the 400 IM, 500 free and 1650 free. Grimes has been considered an explosive athlete since his time with the Sandpipers of Nevada and was touted as one of the best prospects the Gophers have added in years.
Kilgallon's last year has looked significantly different than her fellow trials-qualified Gophers, as she has only competitively swam at a total of three meets. With those few opportunities, however, Kilgallon has been achieving an impressive amount of feats. Perhaps the most impressive was her performance at the TYR Pro Swim Series event in Indianapolis in mid-May, when the Bridgewater, N.J. came in nearly seven full seconds under the Wave II standard time in the 1500 free (16:37.78) to secure her spot in the trials this coming week.
The three alumni looking to secure their spots on the 2021 U.S. Olympic team are eight-time All American and NCAA runner-up Bowe Becker (50/100 Free), 11-time All-American and NCAA runner-up Lindsey Kozelsky (100/200 Breast), and nine-time All-American Tevyn Waddell (100/200 Back, 100 Fly), all three of whom were selected to an International Swimming League (ISL) roster for the 2020 season. Between the three, they hold a grand total of 13 Minnesota team records, 28 All-American honors and five individual Big Ten Championship titles. All three made an Olympic Trials appearance in 2016, while only Kozelsky competed at the 2012 trials.
In Kozelsky's Olympic trials debut she managed an 88th place finish in the 100 breast (1:12.48) at only 15 years-old. The Albert Lea, Minn. native then made major strides in 2016, finishing 19th overall in the 100 breast (1:08.82) and 29th overall in the 200 breast (2:31.41).
Becker, a Las Vegas, Nev. native, was a force at the 2016 Olympic Trials at only 18 years-old, clinching a spot in the semifinals of the 50 free where he ultimately finished 12th (22.31). He would also add a 22nd place finish in the 100 free (49.84) a few days later to help cement his name as one of the strongest sprint freestylers in the nation, a legacy which he hopes to improve on in Omaha this week.
As for Waddell, she will be making the second Olympic trials appearance of her career as well, after finishing the 100 back, 200 back and 100 fly in 69th (1:03.16), 94th (2:18.37) and 79th (1:01.24), respectively in 2016. Waddell was also only 18-years-old in her Olympic trial debut.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Below is a full breakdown of the dates on which a Minnesota Gopher will be competing at the trials and the respective athletes competing in each event.
Sunday, June 13
W 100 Fly (Prelim/Semis) // Tevyn Waddell
M 400 Free (Prelim/Finals) // Sawyer Grimes
M 100 Breast (Prelim/Semis) // Max McHugh
Monday, June 14
W 100 Back (Prelim/Semis) // Tevyn Waddell
W 100 Breast (Prelim/Semis) // Lindsey Kozelsky
W 400 Free (Prelim/Finals) // Abbey Kilgallon
W 100 Fly (Finals) // Tevyn Waddell
M 100 Breast (Finals) // Max McHugh
Tuesday, June 15
W 1500 Free (Prelim) // Abbey Kilgallon
W 100 Back (Finals) // Tevyn Waddell
W 100 Breast (Finals) // Lindsey Kozelsky
Wednesday, June 16
M 100 Free (Prelim/Semis) // Bowe Becker
M 200 Breast (Prelim/Semis) // Max McHugh
M 800 Free (Prelim) // Sawyer Grimes
W 1500 Free (Finals) // Abbey Kilgallon
Thursday, June 17
W 200 Breast (Prelim/Semis) // Lindsey Kozelsky
M 800 Free (Finals) // Sawyer Grimes
M 200 Breast (Finals) // Max McHugh
M 100 Free (Finals) // Bowe Becker
Friday, June 18
W 200 Back (Prelim/Semis) // Tevyn Waddell
W 200 Breast (Finals) // Lindsey Kozelsky
Saturday, June 19
M 50 Free (Prelim/Semis) // Bowe Becker
M 1500 Free (Prelim) // Sawyer Grimes
W 200 Back (Finals) // Tevyn Waddell
Sunday, June 13
M 50 Free (Finals) // Bowe Becker
M 1500 Free (Finals) // Sawyer Grimes
WAVE I RESULTS
One current and one future Gopher represented the Maroon and Gold at Wave I of the trials earlier this week, both of whom were making their Olympic trials debuts.
The first of the two to touch the water was senior and Minnesota distance star Cameron Kelley, whose sole event was the 400 free. Though Cam put up a decent time of 4:04.53 in the first heat of the event, it ultimately earned him 19th place finish overall and he would miss the finals session. The following day, future Gopher Lyndsey Wehr took on the women's 50 free, where she finished tied for 53rd in a time of 26.80. Wehr will be joining the Gophers for the 2021-22 season as a freshman.
INTERNATIONAL TRIALS
Internationally, there are a number of Gophers vying for the chance at representing their home countries as well.
At the 2021 Israeli Olympic Trials, 2021-22 freshman Bar Soloveychik will be looking to earn his spot in Tokyo this summer. Soloveychik, a mid-distance freestyle star and Israeli national record holder, will be taking on the 200, 400 and 800 freestyle events, needing to hit the FINA 'A' cut standard time to qualify for the team. Those trials will take place from June 11-14.
A pair of Canadian Gophers will be taking their shots at making it to Tokyo as well, as NCAA Champion and 2016 Rio Olympic Finalist Kierra Smith and 2021-22 freshman Hannah Cornish will be competing at the 2021 Canadian Olympic Trials from June 19-23. The event will be held in Toronto, Ontario at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre.
Smith is already well rounded in the Olympic atmosphere, having represented her home country in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. There, the Kelowna, British Columbia product managed to qualify for the finals session of the 200 breast, where she ultimately finished seventh. She also competed in the 100 breast for Canada, just missing the semifinal round with a 19th place finish in prelims. At this year's trials, Smith will be competing in the same two events, and will enter the competition as a top-three seed in each.
Cornish, who will be joining the Gophers as a freshman in the 2021-22 season, has three events on her docket for the coming trials, as she will compete in the 50 free, 100 free and 200 IM. Though seeded sixteenth in both the 100 free and 200 IM, she will enter the competition as the sixth seed in the 50 free, and will likely see most of her success there.
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