RICHMOND, Va. - NOVA of Virginia Aquatics in the West End is sending 9 swimmers to next week's Olympic swimming trials in Omaha, Nebraska. The trials meet will run from June 26th through July 3rd and will finalize the team that will head to Rio for this summer's Olympic Games.
Townley Haas is the highest profile swimmer to represent NOVA this year. The sophomore at Texas helped the Longhorns win this year's NCAA team title. He has qualified in five different events, but will only compete in the 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle races. Here is more information on the other swimmers headed to the trials:
Sam Cuthbert (Collegiate) is the reigning National Club Swimming Association (NCSA) champion in the 50 m Backstroke and a state VISAA champion in the 100 m Backstroke. Cuthbert has an Olympic Trials qualifying time in the 200 m Backstroke and was a qualifier for the Backstroke events at the 2014 USA Summer Junior Nationals and the 2015 AT&T Winter Nationals. He has had numerous Top 8 finishes during the last year at Virginia Swimming and NCSA championship meets. Cuthbert will swim at Princeton in fall of 2016.
Jessie Gvozdas, a rising junior at the University of Virginia, will swim under the NOVA cap. Gvozdas has qualifying times in four events: 400 m and 800 m Freestyle, 200 m Butterfly and 400 m Individual Medley (IM). While swimming for NOVA, she was a Virginia Swimming champion in numerous Freestyle events. She was also a national NCSA champion in the 400 m Freestyle and a finalist in the same event at the 2013 Speedo Junior National Championships. For more on her collegiate career, see her UVA profile.
Lauren Meeker, a rising junior at Atlee High School, is an Olympic Trial qualifier in the 200 m Backstroke. Meeker, at age 16, is the youngest NOVA swimmer traveling to Omaha. Meeker recently had a 9th place finish at the 2016 NCSA Short Course Championship in the 200 yd Backstroke and finished 3rd in the 200 m back at the 2015 NCSA Long Course Juniors.
Wade O’Brien (Deep Run) is a 2015-2016 USA Swimming National Junior Team member who holds Olympic Trial qualifying times in the 100 m and 200 m Backstroke. He is the reigning NCSA national champion in the 200 m Backstroke and the 200 yd Backstroke. He is also a former Virginia Swimming champion in the 200 yd Backstroke. He will swim at Princeton next year.
Will Riggs (Freeman) has an Olympic Trials qualifying time in the 200 m Butterfly. In this event, he finished 3rd at the most recent long course NCSA Junior Nationals, 9th at the recent short course NCSA Junior Nationals, and 10th among the 18 & under swimmers at the Phillips 66 National Championships. Riggs will swim at the University of South Carolina next year.
Ted Schubert (Patrick Henry High School) was regarded as the #1 male recruit in Virginia and the #12 male recruit nationwide this year. He will attend the University of Virginia this fall. He holds Olympic Trial qualifying times in four events (200 m Backstroke, 200 m Butterfly, 400 m IM and 1500 m Freestyle). He won the 18 & Under national championship in the 200 yd Butterfly at the 2014 AT&T Winter Nationals and the 200 m Butterfly at the 2015 NCSA Long Course Championships. He recently won three events at the Virginia Swimming Short Course Senior Championships (100 yd/200 yd Butterfly and 500 yd Freestyle) and had ten Top 8 finishes at the 2016 NCSA Short Course Championships. He was the male high point winner at the NCSA Juniors in 2015 and 2016.
Aaron Schultz (Deep Run) holds Olympic Trials Qualifying times in the 100 m and 200 m Butterfly. He recently had eight Top 8 finishes at the 2016 NCSA Short Course Championships and also had six Top 8 finishes at the 2016 Virginia Swimming Short Course Senior Championships, including a win in the 200 yd Freestyle and second place in both the 100 yd and 200 yd Butterfly. Schultz will swim for Notre Dame next year.
Charlie Swanson (St Christopher’s) will swim at the University of Michigan in the fall. He holds Olympic Trial qualifying times in five events: 100 m and 200 m Breaststroke, 200 m and 400 m Individual Medley, and 400 m Freestyle. He was named to the 2015-2016 USA Swimming National Junior Team and participated in the 2015 FINA World Junior Championships in Singapore. He is the reigning national NCSA champion in the 200 and 400 IM in both long course and short course. He is also a past Virginia Swimming champion in the 400 yd IM, the 200 yd IM, the 1650 yd Freestyle, the 400 m IM and the 200 m IM. He was recently recognized as the 17/18 Male Virginia Swimming Swimmer of the Year.
