Light Rain, 66°
Weather sponsored by:

Olympic Trial Swimming

Stotler punches in at 100 butterfly on day one

By Randy Lefko Sports Editor
Posted 6/16/21

OMAHA - Sara Stotler opened the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials as a first-timer in the fastest heat four of eight in the 100 butterfly, her state champion event for Clay High School this past season. …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Don't have an ID?


Print subscribers

If you're a print subscriber, but do not yet have an online account, click here to create one.

Non-subscribers

Click here to see your options for subscribing.

Single day pass

You also have the option of purchasing 24 hours of access, for $1.00. Click here to purchase a single day pass.

Olympic Trial Swimming

Stotler punches in at 100 butterfly on day one


Posted

OMAHA - Sara Stotler opened the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials as a first-timer in the fastest heat four of eight in the 100 butterfly, her state champion event for Clay High School this past season. Stotler is joined at the Trials by siblings Caeleb and Sherridon Dressel. Caeleb Dressel, a multiple times world and American record holder, will be an obvious favorite in his sprinting events, plus have access to other events if the meet schedule allows for his recovery between events. Sister Sherridon Dressel is in both the 100 and 200 backstroke events.
Note: On Monday, Dressel swam a lifetime best for the 200 free to finish as the second fastest semifinalist with a 1:46.63, but scratched from the scheduled semifinal presumably to prepare for his upcoming events; 50 and 100 freestyle, 100 butterfly. Dressel also scratched out of Mondayh’s 200 butterfly preliminary.
On day one, with a seed time of 59.58 seconds, Stotler was among eight swimmers all just under one minute for heat. Heats one and two had 16 swimmers; eight per heat with all but four under one minute.
From heat five on, swimmers inched to a best time of 56.20 by Claire Curzan of North Carolina, a 16 year old phenom. Ironically, Curzan, just a high school junior, is the same age as legendary Olympian Michael Phelps was at his first Olympic Trials.
The world record for the event is 5.48 with the American record at 55.98 by Dana Vollmer. Curzan currently held the best national time with her 56.20.
After the prelims, Stotler finished 47th with a 1:00.74 split with American Olympian Kelsi Dahlia, the 2016 Trials champion, posting a 56.56 time as top seed for the semifinals; two heats of eight swimmers. Curzan finished fourth fastest at 57.61.
The top 16 were under 59.17. The 100 butterfly final for women is scheduled for Mon., June 14.
Stotler next swims the 200 freestyle with a 2:01.60 seed time. Top time is U.S. Olympian Katie Ledecky at 1:54.40)
Monday features heats for the mens 200 free, mens 100 backstroke, womens 400 free, womens 100 backstroke, womens 100 breaststroke, the womens 100 fly final, womens 100 breaststroke semifinal, mens 100 breaststroke final, womens 400 free final, mens 100 backstroke semifinal and the womens 100 backstroke semifinal.
In a Trials press conference three days prior to the start of the meet, Dressel was joined in a press conference with Ryan Lochte and Olympic coach Gregg Troy, who coached Dressel at the University of Florida and throughout his Olympics experiences; two relay gold medals. Lochte is preparing to potentially being one of the oldest Olympians to compete at age 36 with a possible fifth Olympic berth.
“For me, personally, just making the team is a success and going to Tokyo and winning a medal would be another success,” said Lochte. “Me being 36 and just being here is a success.”
Dressel was asked about not having Michael Phelps at the Trials.
“I was here in 2012 in the nosebleed seats as a 15 year old watching Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte swimming,” said Dressel. “My favorite part of the Olympic experience is the training together with the best swimmers in the world after the Trials in preparing for the Olympics. I don’t think I’m a seasoned enough swimmer to answer that question.”
Dressel commented about fellow Olympian Anthony Ervin, the RIO 50 free champion at age 35, as a swimming technique model for him. Ervin, now 40, also tied for the gold in the 50 free in the 2000 Olympics.
“He was my first mentor guy because he has such a beautiful stroke,” said Dressel. “He was the first swimmer I attached to technically especially for the 50. He was my first role model regarding technique.”
Dressel answered about the delay of the COVID experience and the waiting to get an Olympic Trials meet.
“Coach and I have always had a plan and a backup plan and we trained as if Trials was happening,” said Dressel. “The Trials are not quite here (two days). Last year was really tough, but training with guys like Ryan made me focus on keeping my routine to be ready. I think we (team) are in a better situation than at the same time last year.”
Troy noted that the COVID experience allowed the swimmers and coaches to evaluate swims and technique more often.
“We did a lot of driving to pools that were available and meets and that time in the car was valuable to giving us time to talk,” said Troy, who noted talk of a possible cancellation of the Tokyo Games. “We train as if everything is happening. I can only control what’s in the pool; not what’s going on outside.”

Wave II Event Order
Wave II follows the traditional Olympic Trials – and Olympic – event format.

Preliminaries (10am/CST) Semifinals & Finals (6:45pm/CST)

Sunday, June 13 Sunday, June 13
Men’s 400 Individual Medley Men’s 400 Individual Medley – FINAL
Women’s 100 Butterfly Women’s 100 Butterfly – Semifinal
Men’s 400 Freestyle Men’s 400 Freestyle – FINAL
Women’s 400 Individual Medley Women’s 400 Individual Medley – FINAL
Men’s 100 Breaststroke Men’s 100 Breaststroke – Semifinal

Monday, June 14
Women’s 100 Backstroke
(Sherridon Dressel 47th at 1:01.66.
Top time 57.57) Women’s 100 Butterfly – FINAL
Men’s 200 Freestyle
(Caeleb Dressel 11th, 1:47.31.
Top time 1:45.71) Men’s 200 Freestyle – Semifinal
Women’s 100 Breaststroke Women’s 100 Breaststroke – Semifinal
Men’s 100 Backstroke Men’s 100 Breaststroke – FINAL
Women’s 400 Freestyle Women’s 400 Freestyle – FINAL
Men’s 100 Backstroke – Semifinal
Women’s 100 Backstroke – Semifinal

Tuesday, June 15
Women’s 200 Freestyle Women’s 200 Freestyle – Semifinal
Men’s 200 Butterfly
(Caeleb Dressel 9th at 1:56.29.
Top time 1:53.84) Men’s 200 Freestyle – FINAL
Women’s 200 Individual Medley
(Sara Stotler 39th at 2:15.68.
Top time 2:08.51) Women’s 100 Backstroke – FINAL
Women’s 1500 Freestyle Men’s 100 Backstroke – FINAL
Women’s 100 Breaststroke – FINAL
Men’s 200 Butterfly – Semifinal
Women’s 200 Individual Medley – Semifinal

Wednesday, June 16
Men’s 100 Freestyle
(Caeleb Dressel 1st at 46.96,
the American record/World record
at 46.91 by Cesar Cielo Filho
of Brazil in 2009) Men’s 100 Freestyle – Semifinal
Women’s 200 Butterfly
(Sara Stotler 35th at 2:13.74.
Top time at 2:05.96) Women’s 200 Freestyle – FINAL
Men’s 200 Breaststroke Men’s 200 Butterfly – FINAL
Men’s 800 Freestyle Women’s 200 Butterfly – Semifinal
Men’s 200 Breaststroke – Semifinal
Women’s 200 Individual Medley – FINAL
Women’s 1500 Freestyle – FINAL

Thursday, June 17
Women’s 100 Freestyle Men’s 800 Freestyle – FINAL
Men’s 200 Backstroke Men’s 200 Breaststroke – FINAL
Women’s 200 Breaststroke Women’s 100 Freestyle – Semifinal
Men’s 200 Individual Medley
(Caeleb Dressel 14th at 1:59.97.
Top time 1:56.78) Men’s 200 Backstroke – Semifinal
Women’s 200 Butterfly – FINAL
Men’s 100 Freestyle – FINAL
Women’s 200 Breaststroke – Semifinal
Men’s 200 Individual Medley – Semifinal

Friday, June 18
Women’s 800 Freestyle Women’s 200 Breaststroke – FINAL
Men’s 100 Butterfly
(Caeleb Dressel 1st at 49.50/
World and American record) Men’s 200 Backstroke – FINAL
Women’s 200 Backstroke
(Sherridon Dressel 26th at
2:12.03. Top time 2:03.35) Women’s 200 Backstroke – Semifinal
Men’s 200 Individual Medley – FINAL
Women’s 100 Freestyle – FINAL
Men’s 100 Butterfly – Semifinal

Saturday, June 19
Men’s 50 Freestyle
(Caeleb Dressel 1st at
21.04/American record.
World record 20.91 by Cesar
Cielo Filho of Brazil in 2009) Men’s 100 Butterfly – FINAL
Women’s 50 Freestyle Women’s 200 Backstroke – FINAL
Men’s 1500 Freestyle Women’s 800 Freestyle – FINAL
Men’s 50 Freestyle – Semifinal
Women’s 50 Freestyle – Semifinal

Sunday, June 20
No Preliminaries Men’s 50 Freestyle – FINAL
Women’s 50 Freestyle – FINAL
Men’s 1500 Freestyle – FINAL