Mainers Emma Waddell of Bangor, Caitlin Tycz of Brunswick and James Wells of Bath are preparing to compete at the United States Olympic Swimming Trials June 26-July 3 at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska.
Waddell swims at Williams College, Tycz will be a senior at Morse High of Bath and races for the Long Reach Swim Club of the Bath YMCA, and Wells is a former competitor for Long Reach and Morse High who swam at Indiana University.
The results at the trials will determine which swimmers are selected for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team for the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. The top two finishers in each event at the trials, regarded as one of the fastest meets in the world, earn membership on the USA team.
Wells will compete in the 100-meter backstroke, and Waddell and Tycz will race in the 100 butterfly.
“I think competing at the trials is every swimmer’s dream,” said Tycz, the winner of the 100-yard butterfly at the 2016 YMCA Nationals. “This has been a dream of mine since 2008 when I was 8 years old and began to understand it all. Just to get where I am, I am in awe all the time. It is the coolest thing.”
Tycz earned her spot at the trials on April 9 with a swim of 1 minute, 1.19 seconds, under the standard of 1:01.9.
“This was such a special moment, I will never forget it,”’ Tycz said.
According to Jay Morissette, coach of the Long Reach Swim Club, qualifying for the trials became a realistic goal for the 16-year-old two years ago. Since then, Tycz “has done everything to make it happen.”
In analyzing Tycz’s butterfly, Morissette, who has had several other Long Reach Swim Club swimmers compete at the trials, identifies her underwater kick off the turns as a powerful force in her stroke.
“Her underwater kicks are unbelievable. I would match them with anyone in the country,” he said.
Waddell, who qualified for the trials on May 9 at MIT with a swim of 1:00.9, said, “This is super exciting. It is an honor to represent Williams and the state of Maine.”
In her first swim at MIT, the All-American performer finished in 1:01.4, three-tenths off the qualifying standard. Later in the day, the 2015 NCAA Division III national champion finished under the qualifying time.
“It was especially emotional,” she said, and she noted having her parents there to share in the experience added to the thrill of the accomplishment.
Upon the conclusion of classes in May, Waddell remained on campus to train with Williams coach Steve Kuster in the school’s 50-meter pool since there are none in Maine. Kuster has experience at the trials, having competed in 1992 in the 200-meter butterfly.
Tycz, who resumed training with Morissette after her win at the Y Nationals, said, “I love practice. It is the best part of my day.”
Unlike a 100-yard race with turns after each 25, the 100-meter, long-course butterfly has only one turn at 50 meters. In preparing for the long course, both Tycz and Waddell have adjusted their training.
Tycz is emphasizing stroke rate and Waddell is incorporating additional endurance sets in her training regimen.
The 100 butterfly is the first event of the women’s trials. As of June 14, 156 swimmers had qualified for the field. The fastest qualifier is 28-year-old Donna Vollmer (56.9 seconds) of California Aquatics. Vollmer won the gold medal in the event at the 2012 Olympics. Qualifying closed on June 20.
Waddell emphasized the importance of maintaining her approach to racing, saying, “I do my best when I am just racing and not overthinking it.”
“As long as I focus on what l love to do which is swim it is a cool experience,” Tycz added.
Wells, a former Big Ten champion and All-American at Indiana University, will compete in the trials in the 100-meter backstroke for the Badger Swim Club of Westchester, New York.
Included among the 217 qualifiers in the backstroke is Michael Phelps, winner of 22 medals in Olympic competition. Wells qualified at 54.9 with the top qualifier Matt Grevers entered at 52.
According to information released by USA Swimming, more than 200,000 tickets have been sold for the trials, which will be broadcast on the NBC network.
Among Maine swimmers who have competed in butterfly events at the trials is former world record holder and Olympic medalist Ian Crocker of Portland. Crocker swam in the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympics. Bangor native Fritz Homans raced in the butterfly events at the 1976 and 1980 Olympic Trials.
Meanwhile, Brooke Zeiger of the University of Minnesota, the daughter of former University of Maine swimmers Peter and Whitney (Leeman) Zeiger, has qualified for multiple events at the trials.
The 19-year-old Zeiger will race in the 400 individual medley, the 400 freestyle and the 800 free. Leeman, a Bucksport native, won the 1984 NCAA Division ll 200 backstroke title for coach Jeff Wren’s Black Bears.
Isabel Reis, a sophomore at Princeton University and daughter of Channing and Ann (Farrington) Reiss, is a qualifier in the 200 butterfly. Farrington was a state champion butterflyer at Bangor High School and a past school record holder.
David Marsh, CEO and director of coaching at SwimMac Carolina, will coach the 2016 Olympic women’s team. Bob Bowman, coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils, will coach the men’s squad.