Junior Lilly King and senior Blake Pieroni secured places on Team USA this weekend as the IU swimming team finished a successful week at the 2017 Phillips 66 National Championships at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, Ind. The five-day event started on Tuesday, June 27 and also served as the World Championship Trials.
The top-two finishers in each Olympic-distance event, the winners of the non-Olympic events and the top-six in the 100 and 200 freestyle race qualified to swim for Team USA at the 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapest in July.
IU sent 18 swimmers to the event, with King and Pieroni earning spots on the national team.
These two swimmers join four IU divers who have already qualified for the world championships.
Coach Ray Looze was also named an assistant coach for Team USA for the World Championships next month.
He served as an assistant for the Americans at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.
King won three national championships, finishing first in the 50, 100 and 200m breaststroke.
Her success comes less than a week after King was named Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year.
Pieroni represented IU during his school record-breaking performance in the 100 freestyle. His time of 48.49 was good enough for sixth in the A Final of the 100 freestyle, making him eligible to be selected for Team USA in the 4x100 relay.
Last summer, Pieroni was a member of Team USA when he won gold in the 400 freestyle relay.
Austin Ghirardelli
