The USA Olympic swim team will be chosen from June 26-July 3 in Omaha, Nebraska at the CenturyLink Center and several area swimmers will be competing at the Olympic trials.
Four Missouri State swimmers are among those getting the experience of a lifetime.
Current Bears Lauren Pavel and Christopher Heye will lead the MSU contingent while incoming Bears Antonio Thomas and Phillip Willett are also making the trip to Omaha to compete with their respective club teams.
The event serves as the only selection meet for the U.S. Olympic Swim Team competing at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Jeneiro this August.
"Having athletes representing our program and our University at the U.S. Olympic Trials is a big deal for us," said MSU head coach Dave Collins. "I am so excited for them that they get to have this opportunity and this experience which only comes around every four years. It has been a pleasure to watch their daily pursuit of the qualifying times for the trials, and their consistent, year-round commitment makes this opportunity that much more special."
Pavel will be a senior for the Bears in 2016-17 and is coming off her third straight All-MVC first-team effort. The Omaha native was the Missouri Valley Conference Swimmer of the Year as a sophomore and achieved an NCAA "B" cut in the 200 breaststroke at the 2016 MVC meet in Carbondale. She had multiple podium appearances at the 2016 Valley meet and was MSU's top performer in both the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke events her junior season. She will compete in the 100-meter breaststroke at the trials on Monday, June 27.
Heye earned an NCAA "B" cut in the 200-yard breaststroke and 400 individual medley at the MAC Championship in February and was Missouri State's second-best performer in both events in 2015-16. He finished second at the MAC meet in the 400 IM and was third in the 200 breaststroke. The Little Rock, Ark., native earned All-MAC second-team honors his sophomore season and set a total of five personal bests this season. He will be competing in the 200-meter breaststroke on Wednesday, June 29.
Two incoming Bears are also in the mix in Omaha with freshman Antonio Thomas and sophomore Phillip Willett set to compete.
Thomas will be competing in the 1,500-meter freestyle on Saturday, July 2. He is the No.1-ranked swimmer in the state of Arkansas according to CollegeSwimming.com, and has previously qualified for the U.S. Open in the long course 800-meter freestyle and the Speedo Junior National Championships. The Fayetteville product had the fastest times in the 500 free, 1000 free and 1650 free in the sectional Champions Series event in Jenks, Okla., in March 2015, earning the highest point total among all swimmers at the meet. He is competing with his club team, Razorback Aquatic Club, at the Trials.
Willett is a transfer from South Carolina and will compete in the 200-meter breaststroke in Omaha on Wednesday, June 29. The St. Louis native swam in five different events as a freshman for the Gamecocks this season, posting the sixth-best time in program history in the 200 breaststroke at the SEC Championships in February. He will be competing for the St. Louis-based Rockwood Swim Club at the Trials. He was a four-time finalist at the Region 8 Sectionals, winning the 400-yard IM in 2015. He was also a 2014 NCSA Junior National Champion in the 200 breaststroke long course.
"It is great to have both Antonio & Phillip competing at Trials this summer before beginning their careers here at MSU," Collins said. "They will both come in and make an immediate impact with our program, and this experience will set the tone for what is to come."
Missouri State's Olympic dreams also extend internationally with two former Bears set to compete at the 92nd Latvian Championship, June 27-29 in Riga, Latvia.
Uvis Kalnins, a native of Valmiera, Latvia, was an NCAA qualifier in 2014 and 2015 for the Bears and competed at Division I nationals in the 100 freestyle and 200- and 400-yard individual medley events. He will push to represent his home nation in Rio this summer by competing in the 50-meter butterfly, breaststroke and freestyle, the 100-meter breaststroke, and the 200-meter freestyle and individual medley events at the Latvian meet. He was a four-time All-MAC first-team pick during his career in Springfield and earned 2016 MAC Outstanding Senior of the Year honors.
Former MSU All-American Paul Le will also compete in Latvia as he strives to meet an Olympic qualifying mark for his heritage home nation of Vietnam. Le, who grew up in Moore, Okla., will compete in the 50-, 100- and 200-meter backstroke events as well as the 200 individual medley in Latvia. He was a three-time NCAA qualifier for the Bears, earning All-America status as a sophomore in the 200-yard backstroke. He was also a four-time All-MAC first-team selection and was MAC Swimmer of the Year in 2013.
An incoming freshman and a recent graduate of Drury University will compete for spots on the United States Olympic Swimming & Diving team as they enter the pool next week in the U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska.
Bailee Nunn, a native of Marshfield, Missouri, is a Drury signee and will compete for a place on the Olympic roster in three events. Nunn sees action Monday in the 100 meter breaststroke, Tuesday in the 200 meter individual medley and another preliminary heat on Thursday in the 200 meter breaststroke.
Sean Feher will represent Drury swimming next week having graduated in 2015. The Des Peres, Missouri product was a four-time NCAA-II All-American and a part of three national championship teams. Feher will compete on Monday in the 100 meter backstroke.
Drury head coach Brian Reynolds and the two will depart from Springfield to Omaha on Saturday morning.
The Trials start Sunday and continue through July 3. The qualifying heats will be a tape-delayed broadcast each day on NBCSN starting at 5 p.m. (Central Daylight Time) while the finals are broadcast live each night of the event on NBC (KY-3 in Springfield) beginning at 7 p.m.
