Eight Wolverines Wind Up Action at U.S. Olympic Trials
7/12/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Eight current and former members of the University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team took part in the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials this past week (July 7-12) at the Long Beach Swim Stadium, but none was able to secure a spot on the national roster for this summer's Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
Former U-M letterwinner Kelli Stein (2001-04) was the only Wolverine to move past a preliminary round, as she placed 16th in the 200-meter breaststroke on Sunday (July 11) with a time of 2:34.06 to reach the semifinals. Stein, who earned NCAA All-America honorable mention and was the Big Ten Conference champion in the event in 2003, was unable to advance to the finals after placing 15th (2:33.41) in her second swim later that evening. Stein also competed in the 100-meter breaststroke race at the trials, finishing 22nd in the preliminaries with a time of 1:12.17.
Fellow alums Sara Johnson (2000-04) and Anne Weilbacher (2000-04) each competed in one event at the trials. Weilbacher clocked in at 1:02.16 (31st place) in the 100-meter butterfly, while Johnson took home 29th place (2:20.32) in the 200-meter individual medley.
U-M sophomore-to-be Susan Gilliam (Los Angeles, Calif./Bolles HS) posted a pair of top-20 finishes in her two preliminary distance races. After finishing 19th at 4:17.55 in the 400-meter freestyle, Gilliam touched the wall at 8:46.79 in the 800-meter freestyle for 18th place.
Classmates Kaitlyn Brady (Wilmington, Del./Mount Pleasant HS) and Annie Stein (Longmont, Colo./Germantown Academy) each swam in one event over the week. Brady touched in at 1:05.54 (43rd place) in the 100-meter backstroke, and Stein finished 35th in the 400-meter individual medley with a mark of 4:58.30.
Sophomore-to-be Lindsey Smith (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) took part in a pair of freestyle races, placing 33rd in the 100-meter (57.35) and 46th in the 200-meter (2:05.18).
Rounding out the Michigan representation at the U.S. Olympic Trials was senior-to-be Amy McCullough (West Bloomfield, Mich./Mercy HS), who competed in three freestyle events. After taking 37th place (4:20.60) in the 400-meter freestyle, McCullough followed up with a solid 24th-place finish (2:03.61) in the 200-meter race the following morning. She closed out the week with a 41st-place showing in the 100-meter freestyle (58.07)
Complete trials results can be found at the USA Swimming website: www.usaswimming.org.
Event Winners/U-M Finishes
Wednesday, July 7
400-meter Individual Medley (Prelims) Olympic 'A' Standard: 4:46.42 1. Kaitlin Sandeno, Southern Cal 4:42.64 35. Annie Stein, U-M 4:58.30 100-meter Butterfly (Prelims) Olympic 'A' Standard: 59.67 1. Rachel Komisarz, Lakeside Swim Team 59.77 31. Anne Weilbacher, U-M 1:02.16
Thursday, July 8
400-meter Freestyle (Prelims) Olympic 'A' Standard: 4:11.60 1. Kaitlin Sandeno, Southern Cal 4:09.81 19. Susan Gilliam, U-M 4:17.55 37. Amy McCullough, U-M 4:20.60 100-meter Backstroke (Prelims) Olympic 'A' Standard: 1:02.42 1. Natalie Coughlin, California Aquatics 1:00.71 43. Kaitlyn Brady, U-M 1:05.54 100-meter Breaststroke (Prelims) Olympic 'A' Standard: 1:09.85 1. Staciana Stitts, Irvine Novaquatics 1:07.20 22. Kelli Stein, U-M 1:12.17
Friday, July 9
200-meter Freestyle (Prelims) Olympic 'A' Standard: 2:00.07 1. Dana Vollmer, Fort Worth Area Swim Team 2:00.24 24. Amy McCullough, U-M 2:03.61 46. Lindsey Smith, U-M 2:05.18 200-meter Individual Medley (Prelims) Olympic 'A' Standard: 2:15.27 1. Katie Hoff, North Baltimore Aquatic Club 2:13.50 29. Sara Johnson, U-M 2:20.32
Sunday, July 11
100-meter Freestyle (Prelims) Olympic 'A' Standard: 55.58 1. Natalie Coughlin, California Aquatics 55.23 33. Lindsey Smith, U-M 57.35 41. Amy McCullough, U-M 58.07 200-meter Breaststroke (Prelims) Olympic 'A' Standard: 2:28.21 1. Amanda Beard, Tucson Ford Dealers Aquatics 2:24.56M 16. Kelli Stein, U-M 2:34.06 200-meter Breaststroke (Semifinals) Olympic 'A' Standard: 2:28.21 1. Amanda Beard, Tucson Ford Dealers Aquatics 2:23.32O 15. Kelli Stein, U-M 2:33.41
Monday, July 12
800-meter Freestyle (Prelims) Olympic 'A' Standard: 8:36.94 1. Kalyn Keller, Southern Cal 8:31.55 18. Susan Gilliam, U-M 8:46.79 M - indicates meet record O - indicates U.S. Open record
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
