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Four Utah Swimmers Qualify for Olympic Trials
10/5/2010 12:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving
Oct. 5, 2010
SALT LAKE CITY - Four team members of the University of Utah have qualified for the 2012 Olympic Trials after posting impressive performances last summer. School-record holders Hannah Caron, Kristina Evans, and Natalie Edge qualified in North Carolina and Oregon along with freshman Brent Murray, who qualified in Hawaii.
"Murray was the fastest sprinter in the country coming out of high school, so we are excited to have him as a part of our program," raved Utah head coach Greg Winslow about the qualifying swimmers. "Edge, Caron, and Evans all had a fantastic summer when they qualified for the Olympic Trials. We couldn't be more thrilled for them."
Murray qualified when he competed at the 2010 Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Hawaii. He placed third internationally in the 50 free and broke the previous American record of 23.05 with a time of 22.78 at the Pan Pac Championships.
"[Finishing third at the Pan Pacs] was the greatest experience of my life!" Murray said. "The adrenaline you get from the anticipation all around the pool just makes you swim faster. It was very exciting to hear that I qualified!"
Edge and Evans, who raced together in Gresham, Ore., at the Speedo Championships Series, posted very impressive times in the 50 free that were only .06 seconds apart (26.22 for Edge and 26.28 for Evans).
"My friend Kristina [Evans] actually beat me the morning before the official race, so it was interesting to see who would come out on top," Edge commented.
Both feel that representing Utah in the Olympics would be an amazing, "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" especially since there are not a lot of opportunities for Utah to gain international recognition in swimming.
As for Caron, she qualified in the 100 fly when she posted a time of 1:01.79 in Raleigh, N.C., for the North Carolina Senior Championships. "I can't wait to represent Utah and show people across the country what being a Ute is all about: hard work, good work ethic, and giving everything you have into a race," Caron said.
Although Edge and Evans expect to graduate prior to the Olympic Trials, both have expressed interest in staying at Utah to train until the summer of 2012. All three women said that Winslow has been a huge factor in their success over the past couple of years.
"Greg is the one who brought me to this level," Evans said.
Caron has said Winslow changed her perspective on swimming.
"He has made me look at swimming in a completely different way so I don't get as nervous for races. I find myself being more excited for them now!"
This year, all four qualifiers will continue to train together with Winslow and the rest of the Utah squad to prepare for the opportunity of a lifetime.
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