JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The race to make the U.S. Olympic swimming team begins on Friday in Omaha, Neb.
Six swimmers with area ties compete in the first wave of qualifying over the next four days.
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That’s just the start of a two-and-a-half week push that will determine the U.S. Olympic swimming team.
It’s a longshot against deep fields for swimmers in Wave I to move on to the next round of qualifying. To advance to next week’s second wave, competitors need to finish in the top two in their event.
How difficult will that be? Tough.
In events like the men’s 100-meter breaststroke, 85 swimmers have qualified for Wave I. That includes a local qualifier in Bolles graduate Cobi Lopez Miro.
Due to the coronavirus, USA Swimming split the trials in two this year.
Quite a few swimmers with local ties have already qualified for Wave II, including three-time Olympic gold medalist Ryan Murphy of Bolles and Clay High graduate Caeleb Dressel.
Other area swimmers who have qualified for Wave II include Bartram Trail grads MacGuire McDuff and Summer Stanfield, Clay grads Sherridon Dressel, Dakota Mahaffey and recent Blue Devils grad Sara Stotler, Episcopal products Cole Crane and Jace Crawford, Flagler Palm Coast’s Micayla Cronk, Mandarin’s Kensey McMahon and Paxon’s Tyler Watson.
Wave 1
Friday’s area swimmers
Swimmer (Local tie), Event
Jacob Pishko (Bolles), 200 fly
Dakota Mahaffey (Clay), 100 back
Caleb Tosh (First Coast), 100 free
Jack VanDeusen (Bartram Trail), 800 free
Saturday’s area swimmers
Cobi Lopez Miro (Bolles), 100 breast
Jack VanDeusen (Bartram Trail), 400 IM
Paul DeGrado (Bolles), 100 breast
Sunday’s area swimmers
Caleb Tosh (First Coast), 100 fly
Summer Stanfield (Bartram Trail), 200 back
Monday’s area swimmers
Gabrielle Hillis (Jacksonville native), 50 free
Jack VanDeusen (Bartram Trail), 1500 free
Cobi Lopez Miro (Bolles), 200 breast
Paul DeGrado (Bolles), 200 breast