Hoosiers compete at USA swimming championships, qualify for Olympic Trials

Current and former IU swimmers competed in Palo Alto, Calif., Aug. 2 on the opening day of competition at the ConocoPhillips U.S. Swimming National Championships.

Leading the field of current IU swimmers was senior Allysa Vavra in the women’s 200-meter individual medley. She finished 12th with a time of 2:14.81.

Fellow seniors Brittany Strumbel and Kim Tracey also competed in the event and finished 23rd and 82nd, respectively.

Vavra and Strumbel’s times were each fast enough to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Trials in the event. Strumbel also posted a qualifying time in the women’s 400-meter freestyle, finishing 18th in 4:13.94.

Four current Hoosiers had qualifying times in the men’s 400-meter freestyle, led by junior Ryan Hinshaw’s 18th place finish in 3:55.50.

Junior Jim Barbiere finished 24th while seniors Tyler Shedron and Andrew Taylor were 33rd and 41st, respectively.

Other qualifiers included sophomores Cody Miller in the men’s 100-meter breaststroke and Lindsay Vrooman in the women’s 400-meter freestyle.

Former Hoosier All-American Kevin Swander took second in the men’s 100-meter breaststroke with a time of 1:00.59. The finish qualifies him for the Olympic Trials.

The meet continues through Saturday at Stanford University’s Avery Aquatic Center in Palo Alto.