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Five Williams Swimmers Head to Olympic Trials
Williams Sports Information,
11:01AM / Thursday, June 23, 2016
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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  --In the swimming community, the U.S. Olympic Trials are often called the “Super Bowl of swimming.”
 
This week, five Williams College swimmers are going to the Super Bowl.
 
That's an impressive number from a Division III school, even from the perennially strong program at Williams. Not one of the other 10 colleges in the NESCAC conference qualified a swimmer, male or female.
 
2015 graduate Thad Ricotta and recent grad Alex McCarter will be joined by rising seniors Megan Pierce and Ben Lin and rising junior Emma Waddell in the Trials, which run from June 26 to July 3 in Omaha, Neb.
 
In comparison to Williams’s representation at previous Olympic Trials, this group of five qualifiers represents the deep talent and continuing growth of the program. During coach Steve Kuster's tenure up to now, there have been four Olympic Trials qualifiers. 
 
At the last Trials in 2012, Williams was represented by Caroline Wilson, Logan Todhunter and Paul Dyrkacz. All three of those athletes were DIII NCAA Champions during their careers at Williams. At the 2008 Trials Eph-woman Lindsay Payne made her mark by finishing seventh overall in the 100 breaststroke. She too was a DIII NCAA Champion, and her NCAA record in the 200 breaststroke stood until earlier this year. Payne also competed at the 2004 Trials before coming to Williams. 
 
Not to be forgotten is Kuster himself, who in 1992 competed at the event in the 200 butterfly, representing the Wilton YMCA.
 
"I would have to say that they all love to race and compete," Kuster said of this year’s group. "When it comes down to it they are just racers." 
 
Waddell is the youngest of the group. She is a biology major from Bangor, Maine, and one of only three people from her home state to qualify for the Olympic Trials. Her qualification time in the 100 butterfly of 1 minute, 00.91 seconds was swum on May 9. Her school records include the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 50 butterfly, 200 medley relay and 200 freestyle relay. She is a five-time individual NCAA all-America selection and in 2015 she was DIII National Champion in the 100 butterfly.
 
Pierce is a psychology major from Wayland, Mass. She will compete in the 400 IM thanks to her qualifying swim of 4:54.40 from March 2015. An impressive eight times she has earned NCAA all-America status as an individual. Twice she has been DIII National Champion in the 400 IM (2014, 2016).
 
Lin is a classmate of Pierce's and will return for his senior year in the fall. Lin is a mathematics and psychology double major from Short Hills, N.J., who served as a Junior Adviser to the Class of 2019 during the past year. He has qualified for the 100 backstroke at the Olympic Trials after posting a 56.44 in March 2015. He holds the school records in the 50 backstroke, 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke, 100 butterfly, 200 medley relay and 400 medley relay. He is a six-time individual NCAA all-America honoree and three-time DIII National Champion in the 100 backstroke (2015), 400 medley relay (2015), and 200 medley relay (2016). 
 
McCarter graduated from Williams College this spring as an English major. The New York City native’s mother also was an Olympic Trials qualifying swimmer. Like Lin, McCarter qualified in the 100 backstroke; his time of 57.05 was swum on June 18, two days before USA Swimming stopped accepting time submissions. He is a part of three school records on the 200 medley relay, 200 freestyle relay and 400 freestyle relay. This year, he was an individual NCAA All-America selectiion and a DIII National Champion on the 200 medley relay. 
 
Ricotta is the oldest of the group, having graduated Williams in 2015. He holds a degree in history with a concentration in leadership studies. Ricotta is from and continues to reside in Houston, Texas, where these days he will occasionally swim with a masters program and will sporadically compete in a triathlon. He qualified for the 200 butterfly in March 2015 in 2:01.99. Ricotta still holds school records in the 200 butterfly, 400 medley relay, 400 freestyle relay and 800 freestyle relay. He was a four-time individual All-America and a DIII National Champion in the 400 medley relay his senior year. 
 
"This is so different than our collegiate championship meets," said Kuster of the Trials. "At those [collegiate] meets people could be swimming upwards of 12 or more times in three or four days. At Trials they have one shot at their races."
 
There are near 1,800 athletes who will compete at the Olympic Trials. In each event, only the top two swimmers will secure their spot on the U.S. team (in select events additional swimmers can earn a spot as a relay alternate). This is the third time that the CenturyLink Center in downtown Omaha, Neb., will play host. 
 
The experience is unlike any other in swimming. All week long the sold out event will see crowds of 14,000 and be broadcasted nationally by NBC. Kuster wants his swimmers to appreciate the moment.
 
"For most people the opportunity to swim at Trials is a once in a lifetime thing,” he said. “I want them to take it all in and make the most of it."
 
The trials will be televised on NBCSN and NBC evenings starting Sunday, June 26.
 
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