TIM PEELER: 5 Wolfpack Swimmers at US Olympic Trials

BY TIM PEELER

RALEIGH, N.C. In many ways, the United States Olympic Trials is the most competitive swim meet in the world, even more than the actual Olympics the American swimmers are trying to qualify for.

“A lot of times, you can be fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth at the U.S. Olympic trials and have a better time than the swimmers who finish fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth in the Olympics,” said NC State swimming coach Brooks Teal. “The competitive depth of USA is so amazing.”

The 2008 trials begin Sunday in Omaha, Neb., and NC State will be well-represented. Not only will sprinter Cullen Jones attempt to join former teammate Daniel Velez, who has qualified to compete for Puerto Rico in the 100-meter breaststroke, but three current Wolfpack swimmers and one other former swimmer will also attempt to punch their ticket to China for the Olympics in August.

“I think an exceptionally strong USA team will be picked,” Teal said. “It’s exciting that we will be a part of that. It should be the experience of a lifetime. They are all ready to have the meet of their lives.”

Jones, the 2006 NCAA Champion in the 50-yard freestyle as an NC State senior and the U.S. national champion in the 50-meter freestyle, has since become one of the nation’s most talked-about swimmers, quickly becoming the face of the sport’s future. He helped set a world record in the 4 x 100 relay at the 2006 Pan Pacific Championships, in addition to winning the gold in the 50-meter freestyle.

But, like everyone in most events at this meet, he will have to finish in the top two in the 50 free to earn a trip to Beijing. Jones will also swim in the 100-meters, which will take the top six qualifiers in order to fill out relay teams.

“I saw him swim three weeks ago at the UltraSwim meet in Charlotte and he looked the best that I have ever seen him,” Teal said. “He looked strong and confident in the water. I talked to him a couple of times on the phone earlier this week and he is ready to go. He knows this is the time to step up and get the job done and earn a trip to the Olympics.”

Teal is confident that Jones can join Velez, a two-time gold medalist and record-setter at the Maccabiah Games and a competitor at last summer’s Pan Am Games. Velez whose father was born in the U.S. territory, which fields a separate Olympic team qualified for the Puerto Rican team by reaching an international time standard at the U.S. Long Course Championship in Texas in March.

Another former Wolfpack swimmer, Rob Yeager, will compete in the 200-meter breaststroke.

Teal, who left for Omaha on Friday, will be keeping his eyes a trip of rising juniors, who hope to gain valuable experience in a world-class event.

Kevin Woodhull-Smith holds four top 10 marks in school history 10^th in the 200-meter butterfly, seventh in the 200-meter backstroke, 10th in the 200-meter intermediate medley and third in the 400-meter individual medley.

Mason McGee clinched two Olympic Trial cuts in the 200-meter freestyle and the 400-meter freestyle. He is third in NC State history in the 200 free and sixth in the 500 free.

Dan Forsythe owns two top-10 times in school history. He is fifth in the 100-meter breaststroke and seventh in the 200-meter breaststroke.

“For them to compete well would be huge for us,” Teal said. “For them to make it [to the Olympics] would be a huge, huge step for them and for our program. They came back after the ACC meet in February and trained really hard and made some significant drops in their times to get to the trials. Usually, the normal swimming training cycle is about six months, and they basically cut that in half.”

But getting there isn’t enough. Teal hopes they all walk away with a positive experience that they can bring back to Raleigh next season.

“To go and have a good competitive experience and realize they are ready to rub shoulders with the best swimmers in the United States, which usally means the best swimmers in the world, is going to mean tons for their confidence going into their junior years,” Teal said. “It will be a huge step for us next year to have three guys on deck who have competed at that level.”

You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.

North Carolina State University Athletics

TIM PEELER: 5 Wolfpack Swimmers at US Olympic Trials

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