Labonge, Snyder Shine On Day One Of US Olympic Trials
6/26/2016 8:38:00 PM | Swimming
Snyder advanced to 400 IM championship final
OMAHA, Neb.- The NC State swimming and diving team got off to a strong start on Sunday at the United States Swimming Olympic Trials, as Natalie Labonge and Austin Snyder each earned a second chance to compete for a trip to Rio de Janeiro in their respective events.Â
Held inside the CenturyLink Center, Labonge managed to advance to the semifinals of the women's 100 butterfly while Snyder secured a spot in the championship final of the men's 400 individual medley.
"We're really proud of the way our team got started at the Olympic Trials today. I don't think we could've asked fror a better start," said head coach Braden Holloway. "Congrats to Natalie on being the first woman in NC State history to break a minute in the 100 fly, as she did it twice today. Today was a testament of the hard work day in and day out that she puts in.
"We had two seniors that led the way for us in the men's 400 IM- Christian McCurdy and Austin Snyder. Christian swam a lifetime best and Austin, who didn't even make Trials in 2012, made the championship final and put himself in a position to make the Olympic team."
In the prelims Labonge posted a time of 59.87 in the 100 fly to finish 16th, and proceeded to hold her placement in the semifinals with a mark of 59.91.
Snyder swam a mark of 4:19.57 to finish 10th in the 400 IM prelims, as three competitors scratched the event to allow the recent graduate to return for a second swim. He finished eighth in the championship final with a time of 4:22.81.
"Today was the most incredible thing I've ever experienced," said Snyder. "After not even getting a single Olympic Trials cut one year ago to make it into the A final tonight is just a dream come true. I couldn't have done any of this without my teammates, coaches and family."
In addition to the Pack's excellence in the pool, Adam Linker finished 12th in the overall standings of the men's 400m freestyle (3:51.68) and Christian McCurdy turned in a 16th-place finish in the men's 400m IM (4:21.45). Both swam among fields of more than 90 competitors.Â
"The other big swim we had today was Adam Linker in the 400 free. He dropped a lot of time and had a very smart race. We're proud of his top-12 finish and how much improvement he's shown," Holloway said.
"Everyone is relaxed and watching some great things happen in Omaha. Knowing they're a part of the meet at night is something big and important to us, and we'll look to keep the pedal down tomorrow with some good events."
The Wolfpack will continue its quest in Omaha Monday, as prelims are set to begin at 11 am ET and finals will commence at 8 pm ET inside the CenturyLink Center.
Players Mentioned
