Wolverines Prep for U.S. and Canadian Olympic Trials
7/2/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving, Olympics
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Nine current University of Michigan men's swimming and diving team members and two former Wolverines will compete at the U.S. and Canadian Olympic Trials for a spot on their respective national teams.
Wolverines 2003-04 team members Chris DeJong (Holland, Mich./Holland HS), Dan Ketchum (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore), Jim Kibbe (Plano, Texas/Jesuit College Prep), Zayd Ma (Ann Arbor, Mich./Clonlara HS), Brendan Neligan (Briarwood, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy HS), Davis Tarwater (Knoxville, Tenn./Webb School) and Peter Vanderkaay (Rochester, Mich./Adams HS) will join former letterwinners Tom Malchow and Chris Thompson at the U.S. Trials on July 7-14 in Long Beach, Calif.
Andrew Hurd (Oakville, Ontario/Oakville Trafalfer) and Chuck Sayao (Mississauga, Ontario/Cawthra Park) will compete for an Olympic spot at the Canadian Trials on July 6-10 in Toronto.
DeJong will compete in the 200-meter freestyle on July 8-9 and the 200-meter backstroke on July 11-12. As a sophomore this past season, he earned an All-America honorable mention as well as the Big Ten title in the 200-meter backstroke.
Ketchum will compete in the 200 freestyle, an event in which he earned All-America status last season as a senior. He also earned a NCAA title as part of U-M's championship 800-meter freestyle relay team and was an All-American in the 400-meter freestyle, the 400- and 800-meter freestyle relays, and the 400-meter medley relay.
Kibbe and Ma will compete in the 200-meter breaststroke and the 200-meter butterfly, respectively. The 200-meter breaststroke takes place on July 10-11, while the 200-meter butterfly is scheduled for July 9-10.
Neligan will compete in three events at the Olympic Trials. He will swim the 200-meter freestyle on July 8-9, the 400-meter freestyle on July 7 and the 1,500-meter freestyle on July 13-14. Neligan earned All-America honorable mention in the mile in 2004.
Tarwater will also compete in three events: the 200-meter freestyle on July 8-9Â and the 100- and 200-meter butterfly races on July 12-13 and July 9-10, respectively. Tarwater was also a member of U-M's NCAA championship 800-meter freestyle team. He was also a five-time All-American in the 100- and 200-meter butterfly, the 400- and 800-meter freestyle relays and the 400-meter medley relay as well as earning honorable mention in the 200-meter medley relay.
The final current Wolverine compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials is Vanderkaay, who will swim the 200-meter freestyle on July 8-9, the 400-meter freestyle on July 12-13 and the 1,500-meter freestyle on July 13-14. Vanderkaay was a three-time NCAA champion in 2004 with victories in the 400-meter freestyle, the 1,500-meter freestyle and as a member of the 800-meter freestyle relay championship team.
Malchow and Thompson will compete in the 200-meter butterfly and the 1,500 freestyle, respectively. The 200-meter butterfly is scheduled for July 9-10, while the 1,500 freestyle is on July 13-14. Malchow was a gold medalist in the 200-meter butterfly and Thompson secured the bronze medal in the 1,500-meter freestyle at the 2000 Olympic Games.
At the Canadian Olympic Trials, Hurd will compete in the 200-meter freestyle on July 7, the 400-meter freestyle on July 6Â and the 1,500-meter freestyle on July 10. Hurd won the 1,500-meter freestyle at the 2000 Olympic Trials and finished 23rd in the event at the Olympic Games that year. He was also the fourth member of U-M's NCAA champion 800-meter freestyle relay team.
Sayao will compete in the 400-meter individual medley on July 6. He finished third in the event at the 2000 Olympic Trials and earned All-America status in the 400-meter IM.
Former USC standout and current Club Wolverine member Klete Keller will also compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Keller will swim the 200-meter freestyle on July 8-9, the 400-meter freestyle on July 7 and the 1,500-meter freestyle on July 13-14.
The U.S. national team will be selected based on the results of the Olympic Trials. First priority will be given to the top four finishers in the 100- and 200-meter freestyle events and the top finisher in all other events. Second priority goes to the second fastest swimmer in every event except for the 100 and 200-meter freestyle. Third and fourth priority go to the fifth and sixth fastest athletes, respectively, in the 100 and 200-meter freestyle. A maximum of 26 swimmers will be chosen to be a part of the national team.
Team Canada will also take up to 26 total swimmers with no more than two swimmers per individual event being selected. The fastest two swimmers that equaled or bettered the selection times at the 2003 World Aquatic Championships and finished in the 'A' final at the Canadian Olympic Trials with a time that equals or betters the Olympic Event standards will be nominated to the Canadian Olympic Swim Team.
Current Wolverines at the Olympic Trials
| Name | Event | Prelims | Final |
| Chris DeJong | 200-meter Freestyle | July 8 | July 9 |
| 200-meter Backstroke | July 11 | July 12 | |
| Andrew Hurd (Canada) | 200-meter Freestyle | July 7 | July 7 |
| 400-meter Freestyle | July 6 | July 6 | |
| 1,500-meter Freestyle | July 10 | July 10 | |
| Dan Ketchum | 200-meter Freestyle | July 8 | July 9 |
| Jim Kibbe | 200-meter Breaststroke | July 10 | July 11 |
| Zayd Ma | 200-meter Butterfly | July 9 | July 10 |
| Brendan Neligan | 200-meter Freestyle | July 8 | July 9 |
| Â | 400-meter Freestyle | July 7 | July 7 |
| 1,500-meter Freestyle | July 13 | July 14 | |
| Chuck Sayao (Canada) | 400-meter IM | July 6 | July 6 |
| Davis Tarwater | 200-meter Freestyle | July 8 | July 9 |
| 100-meter Butterfly | July 12 | July 13 | |
| 200-meter Butterfly | July 9 | July 10 | |
| Peter Vanderkaay | 200-meter Freestyle | July 8 | July 9 |
| 400-meter Freestyle | July 7 | July 7 | |
| 1,500-meter Freestyle | July 13 | July 14 |
Former Wolverines at the Olympic Trials
| Name | Event | Prelims | Final |
| Tom Malchow | 200-meter Butterfly | July 9 | July 10 |
| Chris Thompson | 1,500-meter Freestyle | July 13 | July 14 |
Club Wolverine at the Olympic Time Trials
| Name | Event | Prelims | Final |
| Klete Keller | 200-meter Freestyle | July 8 | July 9 |
| 400-meter Freestyle | July 7 | July 7 | |
| 1,500-meter Freestyle | July 13 | July 14 |
Players Mentioned
