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Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

SWIMMING | Hoyas Compete in the Toyota US Open in Search of 2020 Olympic Trials Qualifications

As its season comes to a close, the Georgetown swimming and diving team sends eight Hoyas to the Toyota U.S. Open at the Georgia Tech Campus Recreation Center in Atlanta from Dec. 4 to Dec. 7. Representing the Blue and Gray, the eight Hoyas are competing for a potential spot in the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials next summer. As of Dec. 5, four Hoyas swam in events but failed to record times below the trial cut. 

The men’s team comes off a second-place finish in the Terrier Invitational, a three-day meet from Nov. 22 to Nov. 24, with the women’s team coming in third. With only four regular-season meets remaining, the U.S. Open provides those athletes still seeking times under the trial cut to close out the season with Olympic Trial qualifying times heading into 2020.

On Dec. 4, sophomore Michael Wheeler competed in the 800-meter freestyle, recording a time of 8:13.47 to place 34th overall. Wheeler fell just short of the qualifying time of 8:12.99. 

Wheeler is the defending Big East Conference champion in the 1,650-yard freestyle and currently sits in first for both the 1,000-yd. and 1,650-yd. freestyle races in the Big East with times of 9:25.00 and 15:33.20.

On Dec. 5, Wheeler and sophomore Brett Sherman raced in the 400m freestyle, with Wheeler earning a time of 3:59.54, as Sherman touched the wall in 4:00.93. With a trial cut time of 3:57.29, Wheeler and Sherman both missed the mark by around three seconds. 

Sherman is the reigning Big East Conference champion for the 500-yd. free with a career-best time of 4:23.63. He has also recorded the fastest times in the Big East this year for the 500-yd. freestyle and 400-yd. individual medley with times of 4:27.53 and 3:54.86. 

Junior Drew Carbone took to the pool in the 200m IM on Thursday morning, finishing with a time of 2:07.93. Carbone failed to meet the qualifying time of 2:04.09 and looks to the coming weekend for another shot at the trials. 

During the remainder of the four-day meet, Carbone looks to build upon his successful performance last year. In 2018, Carbone obtained qualifying times for the Olympic Trials in the 100m and 200m backstroke, earning a ticket to the trials in Omaha, Neb. this summer. Carbone’s qualification for the trials cements him as the second Georgetown swimmer in program history and first male Hoya to make the cut for the trials.

To date, Carbone has secured consecutive Big East Championships, placing first in two events in the 2018 tournament and in three events in 2019. Carbone is coming off of a Big East Male Athlete of the Week award in recognition of his performance at the Terrier Invitational and holds the best time in the Big East for the 100-yd. back and 200-yd. IM with times of 48.36 and 1:48.18. 

Margaret Fouberg/The Hoya | Georgetown women swimmers compete in the butterfly event during the regular season. Freshman Samantha Kim represents the women’s team at the Toyota U.S. Open and is set to compete in the 100m and 200m breaststroke this weekend.

To round out the day, sophomore Sean Devlin raced in the 50m free and recorded a time of 24.23, coming in just over the trial cut time of 23.19.  

Devlin became a two-time finalist last season at the Big East Conference Championships in the 50- and 100-yd. freestyle. He also currently holds the top time in the Big East in the 50-yd. freestyle at 20.91 seconds and the 100-yd. freestyle at 46.14. 

Junior Nathaniel Goldfarb, freshman Samantha Kim and freshman Connor Morikawa are set to participate in the 100m breaststroke on Friday morning in the preliminary rounds. 

Goldfarb finished as a finalist in both of his Big East Conference Championships appearances in the 100- and 200-yd. breaststroke in the last two seasons. 

Kim, the only woman among the eight Hoyas competing in the U.S. Open, finds herself in the top five of the Big East for the 100 and 200m breaststroke with times of 1:05.20 and 2:21.21. 

Morikawa is in his first season with the Blue and Gray and recently recorded a time of 2:02.85 in the 200-yd. breaststroke at the Terrier Invitational, just tenths of a second shy of the school record of 2:02.51. 

Sherman will return Friday to compete in the 400m IM. Carbone and freshman Josiah Lauver will compete in the 200m freestyle. 

Lauver, a first-year swimmer for the Hoyas, recorded a season-best time of 1:42.81 in the Terrier Invitational in November. 

Carbone finishes his nationals appearance with the 100m back on Friday and 200m back on Saturday. 

Also competing Dec. 7, Wheeler will undertake the 1500m freestyle, and Kim and Morikawa will close out the four-day meet in the 200m breaststroke. The evening finals are set to begin at 6:12 p.m. Dec. 7.

The swimming and diving team will return to regular-season action Jan. 18, as it takes on The George Washington University at 1 p.m. at the Charles E. Smith Athletic Center. 

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  • A

    Abby DonnellyDec 11, 2019 at 8:45 pm

    Also, Morikawa holds the state record in all of Connecticut!

    Reply
  • A

    Abby DonnellyDec 11, 2019 at 8:19 pm

    Hi there. I just wanted to inform you that Morikawa beat the state record later in the day at the Terrier Invitational. I was hoping that this article could get updated, thanks! 🙂

    Reply