Louisville Swimmers Compete at Olympic Trials

Eleven swimmers with ties to Louisville high schools and Lakeside Swim Team are putting it all on the line to qualify for a spot on the US Olympic team this week in Omaha, Nebraska at the US Olympic Trials.

Leah Stevens, a 15-year-old rising sophomore at Sacred Heart won the 200-yard freestyle event at the KHSAA state swim meet in February. Now she is swimming in the 400-meter freestyle, the 400-meter individual medley and the 800-meter freestyle events in the Olympic Trials. She completed her 400-meter preliminary events, placing an impressive 29th in the freestyle today and 42nd in the medley on Monday. She will swim the 800-meter freestyle on Saturday.

Perhaps the most likely Louisville swimmer to take a place on the Olympic team is Clark Burckle. A St. Xavier alumnus and brother to 2008 Olympian Caroline Burckle, Burckle is competing in the 200-meter and 100-meter breaststroke and the 200-meter individual medley. He completed his 100-meter breaststroke preliminary and semifinal events in 8th place. He will swim the 200 breast, where he is seeded 3rd, on Thursday and the IM (9th seed) on Friday.

Four other former Tigers are competing as well. St. X grad Andrew Taylor, who now swims for Indiana University, competed in the 400-meter freestyle and the 200-meter freestyle preliminary events. He finished 31st in the 400, winning his heat with a time of 3:56.74.

Maclin Simpson, a St. X grad who swims for the University of Kentucky, is seeded 59 in the 200-meter butterfly. Preliminary heats are on Wednesday. He is the 106 seed for the 100-meter ‘fly on Saturday.

David Lee Duggins, a Kentucky Wildcat and St. X grad, placed 99th in the 100-meter backstroke earlier today. He will swim the 200-meter backstroke event on Friday.

Ohio State Buckeye and former St. X Tiger Andrew Braun is seeded 114 in the 200-meter breaststroke, where he will compete against Burckle on Thursday.

Devan Terry graduated from Male in 2009 and now competes for Alabama. He placed 6th in his heat in the 100-meter breaststroke, finishing 97th.

Three DuPont Manual alumnae are also competing in Omaha.

Meredith King, who now swims for Northwestern University, placed 81st in the 400-meter individual medley on Monday. Up next for her is the 200-meter butterfly on Thursday.

Heidi Hatteberg, an aerospace engineering student at Georgia Tech, will swim the 200-meter backstroke on Saturday. She placed 96th in the 100-meter backstroke earlier Tuesday.

Leah Reinhardt, who attends the University of Texas, completed her preliminary swim in the 100-meter butterfly, finishing 149th.

Finally, Wesley Mullins is a native of Louisville but attended high school in New Jersey. He will swim against Simpson is the 200-meter butterfly on Wednesday.