William & Mary's
Jeremiah O'Donnell (Chapel Hill, N.C.) earned his way to one of the most competitive swim meets in the world this weekend, qualifying for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials in both the 100 and the 200 breaststroke. O'Donnell is the third Tribe swimmer to qualify for Omaha this year, joining classmate
Will Manion (Haddonfield, N.J.), who is qualified in the 100 back, and incoming freshman
Annie Miller (Houston, Texas), in the 50 free.
O'Donnell was competing at the Phillips 66 USA Swimming Summer National Championships, held outdoors in San Antonio, Texas, and swam the 200 breast while also time-trialing the 100 breast and the 200 IM. On Friday, in the 100 breast trial, he swam a lifetime-best 1:03.35 to qualify for the Olympic Trials, and then Saturday added a lifetime-best 2:07.09 in the 200 IM. Monday, the CAA Swimmer of the Year timed 2:17.99 in the 200 breast to finish 35th in the nation, and surpass his second Olympic Trials standard. Also competing at Nationals was rising junior
Josh Zimmt (Barrington, R.I.). On Saturday, Zimmt time-trialed a lifetime-best 1:03.79, missing the Trials cut by just 0.10. Monday, he also swam the 200 breast prelims in 2:21.59.
With O'Donnell's qualifications this weekend, that raises W&M's total of Olympic Trials qualifying athletes to eight since the 2008 season.
Katie Radloff '10 competed at the 2008 event, while in 2012, Manion was joined by
Sidney Glass '13,
Andrew Strait '14, and
Hailey Hewitt '12.