UB Swimming and Diving at the Olympic Trials

While in Track and Field we still have Becky O'Brien to look forward to next week, the US Olympic Trials are over for UB's Swimming and Diving representation.

I get the impression that Swimming and Diving is even a longer shot than Track and Field, as a great many more athletes qualify and then get whittled down.

Still, that means more UB to (have) root(ed) for last week: one current member of the Women's Swimming and Diving group, five from the Men, an alumnus-turned-coach, and a new name who I assume is a transfer, otherwise UB wouldn't have been talking about him.

Junior Megan Burns swam in both of her signature sprints, added onto her NCAA Nationals experience with a 50th-place finish in the 100 free and 46th place in the 50 free. Her respective times of 56:58 and 26:01 were each a shade over her seeds.

UB had representation in each discipline from the men, with UB record holder and current assistant coach Mike Dugan earning a berth in the 50 free before finishing 124th. Dugan was the MAC Champion in the event in 2013 and 2014 and runner-up in 2012. Former Bull and current Indiana Hoosier Oliver Patrouch cracked the top 100, as well.

Dugan was also in action in the 100 fly, where he held the UB record up until Mason Miller set a new mark this past year. In that event he was also MAC Champion in 2013 and 2014 after a runner-up performance in 2012, and finished 115th in this meet.

Breaststroke has been a particular strength of the UB Men lately, and Luke Otto, Garrett Clarke, and Scott Huang all qualified for a shot at Rio, with Otto finishing 81st in the 100, and Clarke and Huang finishing 65th and 82nd in the 200. Itai De La Vega competes internationally for Israel.

Hudson Carroll had been atop UB's backstroke depth chart this year, but apparently has been joined by Ryan Gordon for this coming year. There's not much mention anywhere of Gordon leaving Indiana, but UB included his name in their preview release for these trials, so I assume something's up. For what it's worth, he hit the NCAA B Cut in the 200 back early last season for the Hoosiers.

Anyway, Carroll finished 129th and Gordon 172nd in the 100 back, while Gordon also qualified for the 200, where he finished 108th.

Congrats to all seven Bulls in action this summer. UB's 2016-17 schedule isn't posted yet, but I assume it will begin as it has the last few years with a home competition the first weekend of October.