University of Tennessee Athletics
Olympic Swimming Trials Wrap-Up
July 06, 2008 | Women's Swimming & Diving
Olympic Swimming Trials Wrap-Up
Friday, July??13??
OMAHA, Neb. - While former Lady Vol star Christine Magnuson's title in the 100m butterfly was the highlight for the UT women's swimming program at the Olympic Trials, several current and future Lady Vol swimmers also tasted success at the Qwest Center from June 29 to July 6.
"We had a lot of athletes swim faster than they ever have before," UT Head Swimming Coach Matt Kredich said. "I know each person there gained a tremendous amount of knowledge. For anybody to walk into that meet and drop time is a special achievement."
Rising junior Michelle King had the Lady Vols top finish. The York, Pa., native nearly made it to the finals in the 50m free. She posted a career-best time of 25.43 in her semifinal heat to finish 10th overall.
"She put together a couple of good 50 free races," Kredich said of King, who was one of the youngest participants to make it past the prelims in the "splash and dash." "She just keeps getting better. I think she'll be a player in the 50 free come 2012."
The 10-time All-America selection also placed 45th in the 100m free (56.33) and 92nd in the 100m breaststroke (1:13.54).
Kredich said he was also impressed with rising sophomores Aleksa Akerfelds and Morgan Farrell.
Akerfelds, the SEC Freshmen Swimmer of the Year, picked up right where her outstanding rookie season left off by turning in a pair of personal-best performances.
The Bronxville, N.Y., native finished 16th in 800m free with a time of 8:43.65, shaving over three seconds of her previous best. Akerfelds also placed 30th in the 400m freestyle with a time of 4:16.11 in the prelims.
"Getting top 16 was a big statement for her," Kredich said.
Farrell placed 54th in the 100m backstroke (1:03.58) and 125th in the 100m fly (1:03.12).
Rising senior Carly Mathes and rising sophomore Tricia Weaner each competed in two events in Omaha. Mathes placed 46th in the 400m free (4:18.24) and 57th in the 200m free (2:02.56), while Weaner finished 40th in the 100m backstroke (1:03.35) and 49th in the 200m backstroke (2:26.61).
"Mathes was really impressive," Kredich said. "She just qualified for the Trials three weeks ago and swam faster times here."
Rising junior Jamie Saffer also competed for the Lady Vols, placing 86th in the 100m breaststroke (1:13.29).
Jenny Connolly, who will be a freshman at Rocky Top this fall, gave a glimpse of things to come by qualifying for the semifinals in the 100m backstroke and placing 11th in 1:01.69. She also placed 53rd in the 100m fly (1:01.11).
"Jenny Connolly had a real good meet," Kredich said. "She was just off her best time in the 100 backstroke. She's still one of the country's elite backstrokers."
Another future Lady Vol, Sam Gelb, also competed and finished 88th in the 200m individual medley (2:21.61).
Aside from Magnuson, two other former Lady Vols competed at the Trials. Megan Tomes, a 2007 UT graduate and 16-time All America selection, finished 53rd in the 200m individual medley (2:19.21). Former Lady Vol Jacque Fessel placed in three events, finishing 47th in the 100m fly (1:01.02), 72nd in the 100m backstroke (1:04.02) and clocking a time of 2:22.23 in the 200m backstroke prelims.
Magnuson Places Eighth in the Finals in 50m Freestyle
Sunday, July 6??
OMAHA, Neb. ??? This evening newly graduated Tennessee Lady Vol Christine Magnuson concluded her Olympic Trials oddessy with a mark of 25.49, good for an eighth place showing in the finals of the ???splash and dash,??? the 50m Freestyle at the Olympic Trials.
Magnuson, a Tinley Park, Ill. native, who qualified for her first Olympic Games on Monday by winning the 100m butterfly, turned in career best 25.37.clocking in the 50m semifinals on Sat., July 5, to better her career mark of 25.78 set last summer at the International Grand Prix in Japan. In the finals, she could not improve on her time or semifinal finish.
The fast field, which included another American Record for 41-year old Dara Torres, who reclaimed her American record with a 24.25 clocking in the finals, marked the conclusion of the women???s events at the Olympic Trials in Omaha, Neb..
The Beijing Olympic Games will begin on August 8, 2008.
Magnuson Advances to Finals in 50m Freestyle
Saturday, July 5??
OMAHA, Neb. ??? This evening Tennessee Lady Vol Christine Magnuson placed herself in the finals of the ???splash and dash,??? the 50m Freestyle at the Olympic Trials posting another career best of 25.37.
Magnuson, a Tinley Park, Ill. native, who qualified for her first Olympic Games on Monday by winning the 100m butterfly, turned in a 25.41 clocking in the 50m prelims this morning to better her career mark of 25.78 set last summer at the International Grand Prix in Japan. In the semifinals, she had the eighth fastest swim this evening to advance to the finals.
Lady Vol head swimming coach Matt Kredich was impressed with both swims. ???Every time Christine gets the opportunity to step up on the blocks in front of 10,000 people she adds a little more experience to her swimming resume,??? said Kredich. ???This is great preparation for what she will experience in Beijing. I hope she gets another swim in the Olympics qualifying for the 50 free.???
Fellow Lady Vol Michele King, a York, Pa. product, and a rising UT junior posted a career best time of 25.43 and finished 10th overall recording a new personal best. Earlier in the day, King recorded a time of 25.44 to qualify ninth overall advancing to the semifinals.
??????This was a great time for Michele,??? said Kredich. ???She is one of the younger swimmers here in this event and had a great finish. Michele continues to make great progress,??? he concluded.
Magnuson will compete in finals of the 50m free on Sun., July 6, in a field which includes 41-year old Dara Torres who reclaimed her American record with a 24.38 clocking in the semifinals.
Tryouts for the U.S. Olympic Team conclude tomorrow, Sun., July 6 and will be aired live on NBC.
Two Lady Vols Advance to Semifinals in 50m Freestyle
Saturday, July 5??
OMAHA, Neb. ??? This morning in the 11th heat of the 50m freestyle at the Olympic Trials, six swimmers advanced to the semifinal group of 16 including Lady Vols Christine Magnuson and Michele King who swam career best times.
Magnuson, a Tinley Park, Ill. native, who qualified for her first Olympic Games on Monday by winning the 100m butterfly, turned in a 25.41 clocking in the 50m prelims to better her career mark of 25.78 set last summer at the International Grand Prix in Japan. She had the eighth fastest swim in the prelims.
King, a York, Pa. product, finished just behind Magnuson with a 25.44 time to qualify ninth overall advancing to the semifinals. A rising junior at UT, King???s previous best time of 25.53 was earned earlier this year at the Charlotte Ultra Swim.
A new American Record was achieved in the 50m prelims in the final heat --number 12-- as Lara Jackson battled Dara Torres bettering Torres??? old standard (24.53) by clocking 24.50. Jackson was off the blocks in lightning fashion with a reaction time reading .60. The Lady Vols??? King posted the next best reaction time of the qualifiers with a .62 while Magnuson posted a third-best .65 time off the blocks.
"I'm really in shock right now," Jackson said. "My previous best was 25.1. I was expecting to go 24 because we've been training really hard and I've been really on in practice, but nothing like that. I want to do that in finals and make the team."
Magnuson, King and the other qualifiers will compete in semifinals of the 50m free this evening with the finals scheduled for Sun., July 6.
Tryouts for the U.S. Olympic Team will continue through Sun., July 6 and will be aired live on NBC and the USA Network. Preliminaries will begin at 11 a.m. C.T. each day with the Finals session scheduled for a 6:45 p.m. C.T. approximate start.
Three Lady Vols in Action at Olympic Trials
Friday, July??4??
OMAHA, Neb. ??? In the sixth day of swimming at the Olympic Trials in Omaha, Neb., Tennessee Lady Vol Aleksa Akerfelds, Bronxville, N.Y., took 16th place overall in the 800m freestyle heats with a career best 8:43.65. The top eight advanced to the finals.
The rising sophomore has shaved almost 12 seconds off of her career best time in the 16-lap freestyle this season while training under Lady Vol head swimming coach Matt Kredich. Akerfelds previous best time in the event was an 8:47.37 clocking at the Charlotte Ultra Swim.
Also in action today was rising UT sophomore Tricia Weaner, Gettysburg, Pa., and former Lady Vol Jacque Fessel in the heats of the 200m backstroke. Weaner turned in a 2:16.61 clocking to finish 49th as the top 16 simmers advanced. Fessel logged a 2:22.23 effort in her race.
On Sat., July 5, Lady Vol Christine Magnuson, who qualified for her first Olympics on Monday by winning the 100m butterfly (a race she also took first in at the 2008 NCAA National Championship), will be back in action. She will be joined by upcoming-UT junior Michele King in the 50m freestyle heats in the morning session. Qualifiers will advance to the semifinals of the 50m free tomorrow night with the finals scheduled for Sun., July 6.
Tryouts for the U.S. Olympic Team will continue through Sun., July 6 and will be aired live on NBC and the USA Network. Preliminaries will begin at 11 a.m. C.T. each day with the Finals session scheduled for a 6:45 p.m. C.T. approximate start.
Magnuson Reaches 100m Free Semifinals
Thursday, July??3??
OMAHA, Neb. ??? The semifinals of the 100m freestyle was full of legends at the Olympic Trials in Omaha, Neb., this evening, including some of the world???s best freestylers in Americans Natalie Coughlin and Dara Torres. Lady Vol Christine Magnuson was also in that group.
The Tinley Park, Ill., native swam a lifetime best 54.70 in this morning???s 100m free preliminaries to place fifth and qualify for her second semifinals at the Qwest Center. This evening, she came in fifth in her heat and 13th overall with a 55.22 mark.
Magnuson qualified for her first Olympics on Monday by winning the 100m butterfly- a race she took first in at the 2008 NCAA National Championship.
Also in the 100m free prelims was upcoming-junior Michele King. King placed 45th (56.33) of the 100 competitors in the morning session.
Magnuson and King will swim again on Saturday, July 5 in the 50m freestyle.
Tryouts for the U.S. Olympic Team will continue through Sun., July 6 and will be aired live on NBC and the USA Network. Preliminaries will begin at 11 a.m. C.T. each day with the Finals session scheduled for a 6:45 p.m. C.T. approximate start.
Four Swimmers with UT Ties Compete on Day Three????
Tuesday, July??1????
Magnuson's 100 Fly Finals Video??
OMAHA, Neb. ??? The list of past, present and future Lady Vols competing on the third day of the U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha, Neb., was lighter than the past two days. Only two women???s events were held this morning- the 200m freestyle and 200m individual medley. Though four Tennessee swimmers, including former UT standout Megan Tomes and future Lady Vol Sam Gelb, swam this morning, none could make it into this evening???s semifinals.
National champion and 2008 U.S. Olympic team member Christine Magnuson led the UT contingents in the 200m freestyle, just hours after her 100m butterfly win late last night. Magnuson is one of only four women to already have a guaranteed spot on the Olympic team, as she did so by swimming a time of 58.11 in the 100m fly finals session. Magnuson took 18th in the 200m free this morning in 2:00.31, missing another semifinals cut by just two places. Upcoming-senior Carly Mathes came in 57th (2:02.56) in the field of 103 Olympic hopefuls.
Tomes and Gelb competed in the 200m individual medley preliminaries and finished 53rd (2:19.21) and 88th (2:21.61), respectively. Tomes graduated from Tennessee in 2007 with 16 All-America certificates. Gelb will begin her career on Rocky Top this fall.
Tryouts for the U.S. Olympic Team will continue through Sun., July 6 and will be aired live on NBC and the USA Network. Preliminaries will begin at 11 a.m. C.T. each day with the Finals session scheduled for a 6:45 p.m. C.T. approximate start.
Magnuson Qualifies for Beijing Olympics????
Monday, June??30????
Magnuson's 100 Fly Finals Video??
OMAHA, Neb. ??? Christine Magnuson, arguably the most accomplished swimmer to come through the Lady Vol swimming and diving program, earned a spot on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team today by winning the 100m butterfly at the Olympic Trials in Omaha, Neb. Magnuson came in as the top seed after winning both the preliminaries (57.84) and semifinals (57.50) yesterday. Her time of 58.11 earned the Tinley Park, Ill., product her first trip to the Olympics.
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At the turn, the 23-time All-American was in third behind 2004 Olympic medalist Rachel Komisarz, who was on pace to set a new world record and Brooke Bishop. However, she found another gear to finish the final 50 meters one-tenth of a second ahead of Stanford???s Elaine Breeden for the win. Breeden will join Magnuson as a member of the U.S. Olympic team in Beijing. Komisarz was third with a 58.36 readout.
???It is amazing, thrilling,??? Magnuson said. ???Now I can just really relax and have fun. I had a blast tonight. I don???t know how I am going to top this one.???
Magnuson???s performance in yesterday???s semifinals made her the seventh-fastest performer in swimming history and is currently the third-fastest time in the world. The mark also stands as an Olympic Trials meet record.
Representing Tennessee in the 100m backstroke today were upcoming-sophomores Tricia Weaner and Morgan Farrell. Weaner came in 40th with a 1:03.35 mark, while Farrell was 54th overall (1:03.58). Former Lady Vol Jacque Fessel also swam in the 100m back preliminaries and finished 72nd (1:04.02). Future UT contender Jenny Connolly (swimming with her club team Boilermaker Aquatics) finished in a three-way tie for 12th in the prelims (1:02.08) and was 11th in the semifinals after touching the wall in 1:01.69, missing the finals cut by a mere three placements. Connolly will swim for the Lady Vols starting this fall.
Two swimmers from Rocky Top competed in the preliminary session of the 100m breaststroke at the Qwest Center this morning. All-Americans Jamie Saffer and Michele King finished in 86th (1:13.29) and 92nd place (1:13.54), respectively.
In the 400m freestyle prelims, the Southeastern Conference Freshman Swimmer of the Year Aleksa Akerfelds took nearly a second off her best time by placing 30th with 4:16.11. She came into the race seeded 50th. Upcoming-senior Carly Mathes stopped the clock at 4:18.24, .78 seconds better than her Olympic Trial qualifying time, to place 46th.
Tryouts for the U.S. Olympic Team will continue through Sun., July 6 and will be aired live on NBC and the USA Network. Preliminaries will begin at 11 a.m. C.T. each day with the Finals session scheduled for a 6:45 p.m. C.T. start.
Magnuson Wins 100m Fly??Semifinals????
Sunday, June??29????
OMAHA, Neb. ??? Lady Vol Christine Magnuson won the semifinals of the 100m butterfly at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha, Neb., this evening. Magnuson???s time of 57.50 (57.84 in the prelims) is currently the third-fastest in the world and earned her a No. 1-seed in the finals session tomorrow at 7 p.m. C.T. at the Qwest Center.
The Tinley Park, Ill., native???s performance not only advanced her to the finals, but also etched her name in the record books as she is now the seventh-fastest swimmer in the event worldwide. The mark will also go down in history as the best time ever at Olympic Trials and the second-quickest clocking by an American. Natalie Coughlin set the American record (57.34) in Melbourne, Australia, in 2007.
As a senior last year, Magnuson won the 100y fly at both the Southeastern Conference meet and the national championship. She was also the recipient of the Commissioner???s Trophy after taking four gold medals at the SEC Championships and was named the SEC Female Swimmer of the Year and Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Joining Magnuson in the event was former Lady Vol Jacque Fessel, future Lady Vol Jenny Connolly (Boilermaker Aquatics) and upcoming-sophomore Morgan Farrell. Fessel placed 47th in 1:01.02, Connolly was 53rd with a time of 1:01.11, while Farrell came in at no. 125 (1:03.12).
Tryouts for the U.S. Olympic Team will continue through Sun., July 6 and will be aired live on NBC and the USA Network. Preliminaries will begin at 11 a.m. C.T. each day with the Finals session scheduled for a 6:45 p.m. C.T. start.
Lady Vols Head to Olympic Trials????
Saturday, June 28????
OMAHA, Neb. ??? Several athletes with ties to the University of Tennessee swimming and diving team will be in Omaha, Neb., next week at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Former Lady Vols Brooke Boncher, Jacque Fessel, Christine Magnuson and Megan Tomes will join current student-athletes Aleksa Akerfelds, Morgan Farrell, Michele King, Carly Mathes, Jamie Saffer and Tricia Weaner and newcomers Lindsey Brackens, Jenny Connolly and Sam Gelb at the Qwest Center in Omaha.
Each swimmer has been training for this competition all summer. The Lady Vols didn???t take much time off after an impressive season which culminated in an eighth-place finish at the NCAA National Championships in Columbus, Ohio in March. Highlighting the season was senior Magnuson and freshman Akerfelds. Magnuson won the 100y butterfly at both the Southeastern Conference meet and the national championship. She was also the recipient of the Commissioner???s Trophy after taking four gold medals at the SEC Championships and was named the SEC Female Swimmer of the Year and Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year. Akerfelds earned the distinction of SEC Female Freshman of the Year after picking up a silver and two bronze medals at the meet, all with school record-setting times.
Tryouts for the U.S. Olympic Team will run from Sun., June 29 to Sun., July 6 and will be aired live on NBC and the USA Network. Preliminaries will begin at 11 a.m. C.T. each day with the Finals session scheduled for a 6:45 p.m. C.T. start.
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| Aleksa Akerfelds???? Event: 400m free?? June 30 - 12:00 PM June 30 - 7:00 PM Event: 800m free?? July 4 - 12:00 PM July 5 - 7:00 PM |
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| Morgan Farrell???? Event: 100m back?? July 1 - 12:00 PM July 1 - 7:00 PM July 2 - 7:00 PM |
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| Michele King???? Event: 100m breast?? June 30 - 12:00 PM June 30 - 7:00 PM July 1 - 7:00 PM Event: 200 IM?? July 1 - 12:00 PM July 1 - 7:00 PM July 2 - 7:00 PM Event: 100m free?? July 3 - 12:00 PM July 3 - 7:00 PM July 4 - 7:00 PM Event: 50m free?? July 5 - 12:00 PM July 5 - 7:00 PM July 6 - 7:00 PM |
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| Carly Mathes???? Event: 400m free?? June 30 - 12:00 PM June 30 - 7:00 PM Event: 200m free?? July 1 - 12:00 PM July 1 - 7:00 PM July 2 - 7:00 PM |
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| Jamie Saffer???? Event: 100m breast?? June 30 - 12:00 PM June 30 - 7:00 PM July 1 - 7:00 PM |
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| Tricia Weaner???? Event: 100m back?? July 1 - 12:00 PM July 1 - 7:00 PM July 2 - 7:00 PM Event: 200m back?? July 4 - 12:00 PM July 4 - 7:00 PM July 5 - 7:00 PM |
Former Lady Vols???? |
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| Brooke Boncher???? Event: 100m fly?? June 29 - 12:00 PM June 29 - 7:00 PM June 30 - 7:00 PM |
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| Jacque Fessel???? Event: 100m fly?? June 29 - 12:00 PM June 29 - 7:00 PM June 30 - 7:00 PM Event: 100m back?? July 1 - 12:00 PM July 1 - 7:00 PM July 2 - 7:00 PM Event: 200m back?? July 4 - 12:00 PM July 4 - 7:00 PM July 5 - 7:00 PM |
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| Christine Magnuson???? Event: 100m fly?? June 29 - 12:00 PM June 29 - 7:00 PM June 30 - 7:00 PM Event: 200m free?? July 1 - 12:00 PM July 1 - 7:00 PM July 2 - 7:00 PM Event: 100m free?? July 3 - 12:00 PM July 3 - 7:00 PM July 4 - 7:00 PM Event: 50m free?? July 5 - 12:00 PM July 5 - 7:00 PM July 6 - 7:00 PM |
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| Megan Tomes???? Event: 200m IM?? July 1 - 12:00 PM July 1 - 7:00 PM July 2 - 7:00 PM |
Future Lady Vols???? |
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| Lindsey Brackens???? Event: 200m free?? July 1 - 12:00 PM July 1 - 7:00 PM July 2 - 7:00 PM |
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| Jenny Connolly???? Event: 100m fly?? June 29 - 12:00 PM June 29 - 7:00 PM June 30 - 7:00 PM Event: 100m back?? July 1 - 12:00 PM July 1 - 7:00 PM July 2 - 7:00 PM |
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| Sam Gelb???? Event: 200m IM?? July 1 - 12:00 PM July 1 - 7:00 PM July 2 - 7:00 PM |
Players Mentioned
