OMAHA, Neb. — LSU swimmer Stephanie Cota got her first taste of the 2008 United States Olympic Team Trials Sunday, completing two of the five events she’s scheduled to compete in over the next few days at the Quest Center in Omaha, Neb.
Cota, a transfer from the University of Florida, began her day in the 15th heat of the 100-meter butterfly and recorded a time of 1:05.83 in the race. The junior returned to the starting block later in the afternoon and swam the 400m individual medley in 5:13.88.
The Granite Bay, Calif., native is set to continue her Olympic quest Monday with the women’s 400m freestyle. Cota is seeded 16th out of 95 competitors with a qualifying mark of 4:13.51.
In addition, former LSU standout Kevin Braud will attempt to earn an Olympic berth in the 100m backstroke on the second day of the trials. The native of Destrehan, La., is seeded 78th with a qualifying time of 57.80.
The preliminary heats of each event will begin at 11 a.m. CT with the semifinal and final rounds starting at 6:45 p.m. CT.
Live streaming video of the prelims will be available on NBC’s official Olympic Web site (www.NBCOlympics.com). The finals can be seen on the USA network (Channel 27 in Baton Rouge) at 7 p.m. CT.
Several elite athletes have already punched their tickets to Beijing, China with their opening-day performances. Eight-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps and six-time world medalist Katie Hoff led the way on Day 1 as both set new world records in their respective races. Phelps shattered his own mark in the men’s 400m IM with a time of 4:05.25. Hoff swam the women’s 400m IM in 4:31.12 to break the previous best of 4:31.46.
Larsen Jensen emerged victorious in the men’s 400m free to clinch a spot in Beijing. Ryan Lochte and Peter Vanderkaay each qualified with runner-up finishes in the 400m IM and the 400m free, respectively. Elizabeth Beisel notched second-place in the 400m IM to earn a position on the women’s team.
Many more Olympic hopefuls will attempt to earn berths on Day 2 of the U.S. Trials. Be sure to check back with www.LSUSports.net for daily updates as three LSU athletes look to join former Tiger swimmers Miko Malberg and Heather Brand in Beijing.
U.S. Olympic Team Trials ? Schedule for Monday, June 30
Preliminaries ? 11 a.m. CT
100 Back ? women
200 Free ? men
100 Breast ? women
100 Back ? men (Kevin Braud)
400 Free ? women (Stephanie Cota)
Finals ? 6:45 p.m. CT
100 Back ? women – semifinal
200 Free ? men – semifinal
100 Fly ? women – FINAL
100 Breast ? men – FINAL
100 Breast ? women – semifinal
100 Back ? men – semifinal
400 Free ? women – FINAL