Wolverines Set to Compete at U.S. Olympic Trials
7/5/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Five current members of the University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team and three graduated seniors from last season's squad will compete at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, held July 7-14 at the Long Beach Swim Stadium in Long Beach, Calif. The long course meters event will serve as the selection meet for this summer's Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, on August 13-29.
Current Wolverine swimmers Kaitlyn Brady (Wilmington, Del./Mount Pleasant HS), Susan Gilliam (Los Angeles, Calif./Bolles HS), Amy McCullough (West Bloomfield, Mich./Mercy HS), Lindsey Smith (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS) and Annie Stein (Longmont, Colo./Germantown Academy) will join former U-M letterwinners Sara Johnson (2000-04), Kelli Stein (2001-04) and Anne Weilbacher (2000-04) at the national meet in hopes of earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic squad.
Brady will compete in the 100-meter backstroke on July 8-9 and currently holds the 54th fastest time on the official psych sheet at 1:04.56. In her first season at Michigan, Brady placed 16th in the 100-yard backstroke race (57.49) and swam the leadoff leg of the school-record 200-yard medley relay team (1:40.20) at the 2004 Big Ten Championships (Feb.18-21).
Gilliam will take part in a pair of distance races, with the 400-meter freestyle scheduled for July 8 followed by the 800-meter freestyle on July 12-13. Gilliam is seeded 28th in the 400-meter event (4:16.15) and 26th in the 800-meter race (8:43.03). Gilliam concluded a spectacular freshman campaign with a pair of All-America nominations at the 2004 NCAA Championships (March 18-20), finishing eighth in the 400-meter freestyle (4:10.67) and seventh in the 800-meter freestyle relay (7:58.62).
A three-time All-American, McCullough will swim in the 400-meter (July 8) and 200-meter (July 9-10) freestyle races at the trials. McCullough, the runner-up in the 200-yard freestyle at last year's conference championships (1:46.33), is listed 38th on the race psych sheet (2:02.69) and holds the 23rd fastest time in the 400-meter freestyle (4:15.31).
Smith will compete in the 200-meter freestyle on July 9-10 and the 100-meter on July 11-12. Last season, Smith capped off her first year at U-M with an All-American citation in the 200-meter freestyle (1:59.43, 12th place) at the 2004 NCAA Championships and a Big Ten title in the 200-yard freestyle (1:46.32). Smith, who was also a runner up in the 100-yard freestyle (49.36) at the conference meet, holds psych sheet marks of 56.61 (22nd) in the 100-meter race and 2:03.20 (57th) in the 200-meter event.
Rounding out the current Maize and Blue representatives is Annie Stein, who will compete in the 400-meter individual medley race on July 7. Stein, who placed 10th in the 400-yard IM (4:20.99) in her first career Big Ten Championships last season, currently holds the 31st spot on the psych sheet at 4:52.81.
Johnson will swim in the 200-meter individual medley on July 9-10. The 2003 Big Ten champion in the 200-yard IM (2:00.55), Johnson is listed 42nd on the psych sheet at 2:19.30.
Breaststroke specialist Kelli Stein will take part in the 100-meter race on July 8-9 and the 200-meter event on July 11-12. Stein, the 2003 Big Ten champion in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:12.90), holds seed times of 1:12.20 (43rd) in the 100-meter and 2:33.85 (25th) in the 200-meter.
Weilbacher will swim in the 100-meter butterfly race on July 7-8. A two-time All-American and the 2004 Big Ten Champion in the 100-yard butterfly (53.58), Weilbacher is slotted in the 21st position on the psych sheet at 1:00.89.
Ann Arbor native and current Club Wolverine member Kara Lynn Joyce will also compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Joyce, a two-time national champion during her freshman season at the University of Georgia, will swim the 200-meter freestyle on July 9-10, the 100-meter freestyle on July 11-12 and the 50-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.
Current Wolverines at the Olympic Time Trials
| Name | Event | Prelims | Final |
| Kaitlyn Brady | 100-meter Backstroke | July 8 | July 9 |
| Susan Gilliam | 400-meter Freestyle | July 8 | July 8 |
| | 800-meter Freestyle | July 12 | July 13 |
| Amy McCullough | 200-meter Freestyle | July 9 | July 10 |
| | 400-meter Freestyle | July 8 | July 8 |
| Lindsey Smith | 100-meter Freestyle | July 11 | July 12 |
| | 200-meter Freestyle | July 9 | July 10 |
| Annie Stein | 400-meter IM | July 7 | July 7 |
Former Wolverines at the Olympic Time Trials
| Name | Event | Prelims | Final |
| Sara Johnson | 200-meter IM | July 9 | July 10 |
| Kelli Stein | 100-meter Breaststroke | July 8 | July 9 |
| 200-meter Breaststroke | July 11 | July 12 | |
| Anne Weilbacher | 100-meter Butterfly | July 7 | July 8 |
Club Wolverine at the Olympic Time Trials
| Name | Event | Prelims | Final |
| Kara Lynn Joyce | 50-meter Freestyle | July 13 | July 14 |
| 100-meter Freestyle | July 11 | July 12 | |
| | 200-meter Freestyle | July 9 | July 10 |
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
