WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue swimming alumna Kaersten Meitz and volunteer assistant coach Evan Austin are up next as qualification continues with trials for the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games.
As a member of the USA Swimming National Team, Meitz is slated to race at Wave II of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Omaha. She is entered in the 200, 400 and 800-meter freestyle, with her first event Monday (400). She is seeded fourth in the 400. The top two finishers in an event qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team. Meitz was All-American and Big Ten medalist for the Boilermakers from 2015 to 2018, setting team records that still stand in the 500, 1,000 and 1,650-yard free.
Austin is a two-time Paralympian for Team USA. At the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials the weekend of June 17 to 19 in Minneapolis, he'll be competing in the 50-meter butterfly, 200 individual medley and 400 freestyle. He's already in great shape to qualify for the Paralympic Games later this summer in Japan after winning gold in the 50 fly and 400 free at the Para Swimming World Series in April.
With Nikola Aćin having now officially qualified for the Olympics with Serbia's 4x100 free relay team, alumna Jinq En Phee (2017-20) is the other Purdue swimmer to watch for Tokyo. The 2016 Olympian from Malaysia owns multiple Olympic selection times in the 100-meter breaststroke. She won gold at the Southeast Asian Games in December 2019 with a meet-record time of 1:08.50. Last month at USA Swimming's Pro Swim Series in Indianapolis, Phee posted a time of 1:09.08 to match the Olympic B standard for this year. Malaysia does not host an Olympic Trials meet similar to the U.S.
Meitz also raced in the 200, 400 and 800 free at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials following her freshman season at Purdue. She won her heat of the 400 while finishing 29th of 101 overall. Since turning pro after graduating in May 2018, she won gold in the 400 free and 4x200 free relay at the 2019 World University Games and also competed at the FINA Swimming World Cup in Budapest.
Austin began assisting with Purdue women's swimming in the fall of 2019 and officially took on the volunteer assistant coach duties in time for the 2020-21 school year. Along with his success at this year's Para Swimming World Series, he was also a gold medalist in the 50-meter fly at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships and is a multi-time medalist at the CanAm Para Swimming Championships and Pan Pacific Championships. The Indiana State alumnus now trains at the Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center after a stint at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
Seven Boilermakers raced at Wave I of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials the weekend of June 4 to 7. Rising sophomore Coleman Modglin finished third in the A final of the 200 breaststroke and alum Danny Tucker (2011-14) was fifth in the A final of the 50 free at 29 years old.
KAERSTEN MEITZ AT U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS WAVE II
All Times Converted to ET
• Monday, June 14 at 12:23 p.m. – 400 Free Prelim (4.09.07, 6th of 48)
• Monday, June 14 at 9:05 p.m. – 400 Free Final (4:09.17, 7th)
• Tuesday, June 15 at 11 a.m. – 200 Free (2:01.75, 33rd of 52)
• Friday, June 18 at 11 a.m. – 800 Free Prelim (8:29.52, 6th of 36)
• Saturday, June 19 at 9 p.m. – 800 Free Final (8:31.88, 7th)
EVAN AUSTIN AT U.S. PARALYMPIC TEAM TRIALS
Prelims at 10 a.m. ET, Finals at 6 p.m. ET
• Thursday, July 17 – 50 Fly S7 (29.57, 1st of 3)
• Friday, July 18 – 400 Free S7 (4:50.20, 1st of 2)
• Saturday, July 19 – 200 IM SM7 (2:40.19, 1st)
As a member of the USA Swimming National Team, Meitz is slated to race at Wave II of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Omaha. She is entered in the 200, 400 and 800-meter freestyle, with her first event Monday (400). She is seeded fourth in the 400. The top two finishers in an event qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team. Meitz was All-American and Big Ten medalist for the Boilermakers from 2015 to 2018, setting team records that still stand in the 500, 1,000 and 1,650-yard free.
Austin is a two-time Paralympian for Team USA. At the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials the weekend of June 17 to 19 in Minneapolis, he'll be competing in the 50-meter butterfly, 200 individual medley and 400 freestyle. He's already in great shape to qualify for the Paralympic Games later this summer in Japan after winning gold in the 50 fly and 400 free at the Para Swimming World Series in April.
With Nikola Aćin having now officially qualified for the Olympics with Serbia's 4x100 free relay team, alumna Jinq En Phee (2017-20) is the other Purdue swimmer to watch for Tokyo. The 2016 Olympian from Malaysia owns multiple Olympic selection times in the 100-meter breaststroke. She won gold at the Southeast Asian Games in December 2019 with a meet-record time of 1:08.50. Last month at USA Swimming's Pro Swim Series in Indianapolis, Phee posted a time of 1:09.08 to match the Olympic B standard for this year. Malaysia does not host an Olympic Trials meet similar to the U.S.
Meitz also raced in the 200, 400 and 800 free at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials following her freshman season at Purdue. She won her heat of the 400 while finishing 29th of 101 overall. Since turning pro after graduating in May 2018, she won gold in the 400 free and 4x200 free relay at the 2019 World University Games and also competed at the FINA Swimming World Cup in Budapest.
Austin began assisting with Purdue women's swimming in the fall of 2019 and officially took on the volunteer assistant coach duties in time for the 2020-21 school year. Along with his success at this year's Para Swimming World Series, he was also a gold medalist in the 50-meter fly at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships and is a multi-time medalist at the CanAm Para Swimming Championships and Pan Pacific Championships. The Indiana State alumnus now trains at the Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center after a stint at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
Seven Boilermakers raced at Wave I of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials the weekend of June 4 to 7. Rising sophomore Coleman Modglin finished third in the A final of the 200 breaststroke and alum Danny Tucker (2011-14) was fifth in the A final of the 50 free at 29 years old.
KAERSTEN MEITZ AT U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS WAVE II
All Times Converted to ET
• Monday, June 14 at 12:23 p.m. – 400 Free Prelim (4.09.07, 6th of 48)
• Monday, June 14 at 9:05 p.m. – 400 Free Final (4:09.17, 7th)
• Tuesday, June 15 at 11 a.m. – 200 Free (2:01.75, 33rd of 52)
• Friday, June 18 at 11 a.m. – 800 Free Prelim (8:29.52, 6th of 36)
• Saturday, June 19 at 9 p.m. – 800 Free Final (8:31.88, 7th)
EVAN AUSTIN AT U.S. PARALYMPIC TEAM TRIALS
Prelims at 10 a.m. ET, Finals at 6 p.m. ET
• Thursday, July 17 – 50 Fly S7 (29.57, 1st of 3)
• Friday, July 18 – 400 Free S7 (4:50.20, 1st of 2)
• Saturday, July 19 – 200 IM SM7 (2:40.19, 1st)