Five Razorback Swimmers Qualify for Olympic Trials

Five members of the University of Arkansas women’s swimming program qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials this weekend at the Speedo Region VIII Championships in Columbia, Mo.

Junior Jillienne Schilling qualified in the 200 backstroke and 400 individual medley events. Sophomore Haley Smith and freshman Liz Braun qualified in the 200 backstroke. Braun won the event with a time of 2:15.45.

Junior Katie Whitbeck earned her first U.S. Olympic Trial qualifying team appearance in the 100 butterfly. Freshman Nicole Menzel made her first Olympic Trial standard in the 800 meter freestyle while also breaking the Speedo Region VIII Championship meet record by nearly five seconds. The previous meet record was set nine years earlier in 2002.

In the 1500 freestyle, Menzel won the event and also broke a 25-year-old meet record, set in 1986, with a time of 16:49.95.  Menzel was also named the Female Individual High Point Winner for the Speedo Championships while Braun tied for runner-up honors.

The Razorback swimming team has eight athletes currently qualified for next year’s U.S. Olympic Trials scheduled for June 25^th – July 2^nd in Omaha, Neb.

The other qualifiers include junior Alison Templin in both the 400 and 800 meter freestyles, freshman Julia Kucherich in the 200 backstroke and 400 individual medley and sophomore Chelsea Franklin in the 400 meter freestyle.

The 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials will determine the team that represents the United States in the pool at the London Olympic Games.

For more information regarding Razorback swimming and diving or University of Arkansas athletics, please visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com.