Friday, April 30, 2021
Five More to Watch in Omaha This Summer
Excitement continues to build as we creep closer and closer to this summer’s U.S. Olympic Trials – Swimming. This summer will be the competition's fourth-straight appearance in Omaha.
These are five more athletes to watch just a few weeks out from the start of Trials. These athletes will be in the thick of competition to make their first Olympic Team.
These are five more athletes to watch just a few weeks out from the start of Trials. These athletes will be in the thick of competition to make their first Olympic Team.
Bryce Mefford (200 back)
Just as they were a few years ago during the California wildfires, Bryce Mefford and his Cal-Berkeley teammates experienced very few training interruptions over the past year due to the pandemic.
Just as they were a few years ago during the California wildfires, Bryce Mefford and his Cal-Berkeley teammates experienced very few training interruptions over the past year due to the pandemic.
When NCAAs were canceled and the world went into quarantine due to COVID in 2020 – they continued to train for upcoming Olympic Trials before it was postponed.
Coach Dave Durden moved Mefford and several of his Olympic-hopeful teammates to train in Olympic gold medalist and Cal Bear alum Nathan Adrian’s 4-lane, 3-foot-deep backyard pool 45 minutes from campus.
It certainly wasn’t easy or ideal, but Mefford is grateful and definitely better off because of the determination of his coach.
“It was only for a few weeks, but at least we were able to keep training, especially since Olympic Trials were still happening at that point,” said Mefford, who celebrated Cal’s fourth-straight Pac 12 title earlier this spring. “Dave is our driving force. He is tireless and doesn’t let anything stop us from training and chasing our dreams.”
Durden is also one of the main reasons Mefford ranks among the best backstrokers in the country that has historically produced the best in the world.
Considering that five short years ago, the soon-to-be Cal graduate competed at U.S. Olympic Trials as an impressionable but fast up-and-comer and is now considered one of the top contenders to make this year’s Olympic team is testimony to this.
Every day in practice, Mefford trains with and competes against Olympic gold medalist and Bear alum Ryan Murphy along with other top swimmers.
He knows those experiences – including making the most of training with these same guys in Adrian’s home pool last summer – have helped mold him into the best version of himself in and out of the pool.
“Dave doesn’t let us let up – doesn’t let us stop – no matter what,” he said. “His passion for coaching and for the development of his athletes has helped me develop a real love for the sport.”
“Dave doesn’t let us let up – doesn’t let us stop – no matter what,” he said. “His passion for coaching and for the development of his athletes has helped me develop a real love for the sport.”
As he looks back over the past 12-plus months, he said the experience of living and training through COVID has given him a completely new perspective about the sport – and life.
“This whole experience has shown me that this sport – like most sports – pushes through and finds ways to happen and thrive,” said Mefford, who still has his 2016 Trials kickboard with his name on it.
“Swimming is such a grueling sport, that I’ve learned more about persevering and keeping strong no matter what happens.
“When NCAAs and then the Olympics and Trials were canceled last year, I initially had mixed feelings. I live with seven other guys from the Cal swim team, and we were very upset because we had spent the past 3 ½ years preparing for 2020. But we all eventually realized that this allowed us an extra year to train, get faster and prepare.”
Madisyn Cox (200/400 Individual Medley)
Before the world shut down and 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials-Swimming and the subsequent Olympics were postponed last year, Madisyn Cox was on the verge.
Not only was she on the verge of making her first Olympic team and fulfilling her longtime Olympic dream – one that appeared to be in jeopardy just a few short years before – but, most importantly, of finishing her swimming career in grand fashion and moving on to the next phase of her life: a career in the medical field.
All of that was put on hold for one more year – but now, with Trials several weeks away and the Olympics just beyond that, she knows what has been on the verge could soon evolve into what is real.
“I was actually very upset when this news (postponements) was released (that Trials were postponed) and for completely selfish reasons,” Cox said. “I know that that was the best decision in terms of global health. However, I had made plans for 2021, and the news completely changed the course of my year.
“I had to defer medical school and find a house to live in for the year as I was initially planning on moving to Houston. Once I figured everything out, I did begin to look at this extra year as a unique opportunity that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. This includes in the pool but also in school – I decided to get start working on my MPH.”
Cox, who grew up racing for Lubbock Swim Club, said she has made it a point to take things one day at a time over the course of the past year..
Every day she felt like there was new or different news (pools shutting down, greater restrictions, etc.), instead of stressing about access to pools and weight rooms, she focused on what she could get done that was within the constraints of the time and her control.
“Prior to everything shutting down, I was in probably the best training season I had ever been into that point in my career, so it was definitely challenging to give that up," she said.
“It’s also challenging not being able to compete for a year, but I have had to deal with this in the past when I was temporarily sanctioned from the sport, so it wasn’t something that was completely new to me. I was able to use some of the things I learned previously to get through this year. I do think it had an impact on my training, but I don’t think it has necessarily been a negative impact.”
June’s U.S. Olympic Trials-Swimming will be the fourth consecutive in Omaha and Cox’s third.
Along with her swimming prowess, she has evolved into a sharp competitor with each Trials – coming very close to making the 2016 team with fourth-place finishes in both the 200 and 400 individual medley events.
And while she admits she’s excited to return to compete in Omaha – citing the pool, atmosphere and everything about Trials as reasons to excite her and great memories of past meets – Cox remains laser-focused on accomplishing what she has wanted since the last Trials.
“Through my past experiences I’ve learned how to better deal with and manage the highs and lows of the meet,” said Cox, who won gold (800 freestyle relay) and silver (200 IM) medals at the 2017 FINA World Championships.
“It’s definitely an emotional rollercoaster of a meet, but I’ve worked with (coach) Carol Capitani a lot on staying even keel emotionally despite the circumstances.”
Sean Grieshop (200 breast)
Despite the ongoing uncertainty and challenges of life, Sean Grieshop finds solace in focusing on the things he knows.
He knows he is on track to graduate from the University of California-Berkeley this December.
He knows his future involves medical school and a career in anesthesiology.
He knows that when U.S. Olympic Swim Trials return to Omaha in a few weeks, he’ll be in his best physical and mental condition.
“Physically, I have been blessed in that my coaches have worked to ensure I am in the water on a consistent basis, with a few roadblocks as the number of cases rises and falls in the Bay Area,” said Grieshop, a Molecular Environmental Biology major at Cal.
“Of course, the time out of the water was a tremendous learning opportunity, and taught me to roll with the punches. I have learned to be creative with my dry-land exercise so that I can stay in shape.
For Grieshop, who started his career with Nitro Swimming when he was 8 years old, swimming has been an important part of his life for as long as he can remember.
His motivation and desire to attain the highest heights in the sport came in 2008 when a 9-year-old Sean watched Michael Phelps win eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics.
A summer league swimmer at the time, he had just finished a meet where he received a ribbon for participation and a piece of candy and went directly into the Rec room to watch Olympic finals.
What he saw that day changed his life in and out of the pool.
“I loved watching Michael Phelps attack each race,” he said. “It was in the dominance that Phelps demonstrated that I wanted to be an Olympian for the best swimming country in the world. It was inspiring and made me want to put in the work that would hopefully lead to making an Olympic Team.”
While he’s been on the rise in the swimming ranks for the past few years, it was in 2019 when he won two medals – a silver in the 400 individual medley and gold as a member of the 800 freestyle relay – and was riding a wave of confidence heading into 2020.
When COVID hit and Olympic Trials and the Olympics were postponed, he adapted to the situation, realizing the importance of swimming in his life and focusing on both in 2021.
“When the announcement was made, I was in the water doing an intense distance set,” he said. “When we got out of the pool, my coach looked at his phone and said that the Olympics had been postponed.
“My immediate reaction was sadness that we wouldn't have the opportunity to race that summer. That feeling didn't last, and I became excited that I would have another full year to continue training and do everything that I didn't do well during 2019 now had time to be fixed. I’m excited to see what I can do in Omaha.”
Dakota Luther (200 butterfly)
Looking back on 2016 Trials, Dakota Luther is thankful for the experience and lessons it taught her.
Initially, she finished 16th and made the semifinals of the 200 butterfly when pre-race favorite Cammile Adams was disqualified for swimming on her back instead of her stomach after the third turn.
But when meet officials overturned that disqualification, Luther moved back into the 17th position (first alternate) and out of the semifinals and the event.
Having that taken away was a big eye-opener as far as seeing what she wanted to do in the future and how much she still wanted to get out of swimming.
“Without that heartbreak that I felt, I definitely wouldn’t be in the position that I am today,” she said. “I enjoyed the opportunity to just be able to watch the best of the best go about their routines and learn from them. I liked to watch how they warmed up, when they did everything and how they even held themselves.”
Since that meet, Luther has channeled that disappointment into a stellar swimming career, making the 2017 World Championship team, 2019 World University Games squad and being named to three U.S. National Teams.
Her most recent international showing – two gold medals (200 fly, 400 medley relay) and one silver medal (100 fly) at 2019 WUGs – set Luther up well heading into the 2020 Olympic year.
Even though she admits last year was a “bit of a blur,” Luther said at first, she was pretty upset about the postponement of Olympic Trials and Olympics and just the complete change in her plans and life in general.
But time away from classes, heavy training and competition gave her a new perspective about swimming and life.
“I didn’t have to take much time out of the water like many others, but it allowed me to really figure out what I wanted to accomplish with the swimming that I have left as well as to appreciate the friends and opportunities it has presented me with,” she said.
“The last 4 years had been building up to that moment, and I was in a much different position than I was at Trials last time (2016) at 16 years old. However, I realized that it would have taken a near-perfect swim with some luck at that time for me to in fact make the Olympic team. With that in mind, I think it was ideal for me to have another year to train and get stronger so that I can have a better shot this summer.”
Nic Fink (100/200 breast)
When it comes to accepting what he can control in and out of the pool, Nic Fink is optimistic.
He also knows he can control the effort he gives during practice, how he takes care of his body and how he can mitigate the risk of catching and spreading COVID-19.
It’s this last part – the continuing impact of the ongoing pandemic – that reinforced his desire to make the most of what he can and look past what he can’t.
“An important lesson that you learn in swimming is to control what you can control,” he said. “Usually, it is a way to stay focused on a race and to not worry about an outcome of a meet. But that lesson has come in handy this strange year because of COVID.”
During the early part of the pandemic when pools were closed, he started running and biking and eventually transitioned to swimming in a backyard pool attached to a short tube.
Even when things felt their most uncertain, Fink said he always knew life would eventually resume to some level of consistency and normality – and when it did, he wanted to be ready for what was coming next.
And he has been. So far this year, he’s won both the 100 and 200 breaststroke events at TYR Pro Swim Series events in San Antonio and Mission Viejo – results that have put him firmly at the top of the list of favorites heading into Trials.
“I was very excited with how my 2020 started, and I was ready to compete for a spot at the Games,” he said. “I think most people (especially pros) were on a four-year plan that involved major changes after the 2020 Games.
“So, it was a disappointment to hear the news, but I understood why the decision was made, and I also realized that this delay impacted everyone in the swimming community. Fortunately, I was able to delay my life plans and dedicate myself to another year of training in Athens (Ga,) and focusing on the Olympic Games again.”
Before the Olympics were postponed, Fink said he was planning to attend graduate school at Georgia Tech after the Games to get his master’s degree in electrical engineering.
He wasn’t necessarily going to stop competing – as the International Swimming League (ISL) has opened new annual opportunities during non-Olympic years – but he was going to scale back while he attended school.
That’s still the plan – it was just delayed a year.
And while Fink has a clear plan for his life after swimming, the next few weeks leading into his third Olympic Trials are focused on training and resting to be in his best possible shape to contend for Tokyo.
“I still feel a hunger that I want more,” said Fink, a member of World Championship (3), Pan Pacific and Pan American teams. “A driving force that says I am not satisfied with those accomplishments yet is I feel like I have more to give to the sport and to myself.
“Obviously, I want to make an Olympic Team, but if I don't, I think one day I'll be able to look back on my career and be happy with everything that I've done.”
Madisyn Cox (200/400 Individual Medley)
Before the world shut down and 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials-Swimming and the subsequent Olympics were postponed last year, Madisyn Cox was on the verge.
Not only was she on the verge of making her first Olympic team and fulfilling her longtime Olympic dream – one that appeared to be in jeopardy just a few short years before – but, most importantly, of finishing her swimming career in grand fashion and moving on to the next phase of her life: a career in the medical field.
All of that was put on hold for one more year – but now, with Trials several weeks away and the Olympics just beyond that, she knows what has been on the verge could soon evolve into what is real.
“I was actually very upset when this news (postponements) was released (that Trials were postponed) and for completely selfish reasons,” Cox said. “I know that that was the best decision in terms of global health. However, I had made plans for 2021, and the news completely changed the course of my year.
“I had to defer medical school and find a house to live in for the year as I was initially planning on moving to Houston. Once I figured everything out, I did begin to look at this extra year as a unique opportunity that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. This includes in the pool but also in school – I decided to get start working on my MPH.”
Cox, who grew up racing for Lubbock Swim Club, said she has made it a point to take things one day at a time over the course of the past year..
Every day she felt like there was new or different news (pools shutting down, greater restrictions, etc.), instead of stressing about access to pools and weight rooms, she focused on what she could get done that was within the constraints of the time and her control.
“Prior to everything shutting down, I was in probably the best training season I had ever been into that point in my career, so it was definitely challenging to give that up," she said.
“It’s also challenging not being able to compete for a year, but I have had to deal with this in the past when I was temporarily sanctioned from the sport, so it wasn’t something that was completely new to me. I was able to use some of the things I learned previously to get through this year. I do think it had an impact on my training, but I don’t think it has necessarily been a negative impact.”
June’s U.S. Olympic Trials-Swimming will be the fourth consecutive in Omaha and Cox’s third.
Along with her swimming prowess, she has evolved into a sharp competitor with each Trials – coming very close to making the 2016 team with fourth-place finishes in both the 200 and 400 individual medley events.
And while she admits she’s excited to return to compete in Omaha – citing the pool, atmosphere and everything about Trials as reasons to excite her and great memories of past meets – Cox remains laser-focused on accomplishing what she has wanted since the last Trials.
“Through my past experiences I’ve learned how to better deal with and manage the highs and lows of the meet,” said Cox, who won gold (800 freestyle relay) and silver (200 IM) medals at the 2017 FINA World Championships.
“It’s definitely an emotional rollercoaster of a meet, but I’ve worked with (coach) Carol Capitani a lot on staying even keel emotionally despite the circumstances.”
Sean Grieshop (200 breast)
Despite the ongoing uncertainty and challenges of life, Sean Grieshop finds solace in focusing on the things he knows.
He knows he is on track to graduate from the University of California-Berkeley this December.
He knows his future involves medical school and a career in anesthesiology.
He knows that when U.S. Olympic Swim Trials return to Omaha in a few weeks, he’ll be in his best physical and mental condition.
“Physically, I have been blessed in that my coaches have worked to ensure I am in the water on a consistent basis, with a few roadblocks as the number of cases rises and falls in the Bay Area,” said Grieshop, a Molecular Environmental Biology major at Cal.
“Of course, the time out of the water was a tremendous learning opportunity, and taught me to roll with the punches. I have learned to be creative with my dry-land exercise so that I can stay in shape.
For Grieshop, who started his career with Nitro Swimming when he was 8 years old, swimming has been an important part of his life for as long as he can remember.
His motivation and desire to attain the highest heights in the sport came in 2008 when a 9-year-old Sean watched Michael Phelps win eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics.
A summer league swimmer at the time, he had just finished a meet where he received a ribbon for participation and a piece of candy and went directly into the Rec room to watch Olympic finals.
What he saw that day changed his life in and out of the pool.
“I loved watching Michael Phelps attack each race,” he said. “It was in the dominance that Phelps demonstrated that I wanted to be an Olympian for the best swimming country in the world. It was inspiring and made me want to put in the work that would hopefully lead to making an Olympic Team.”
While he’s been on the rise in the swimming ranks for the past few years, it was in 2019 when he won two medals – a silver in the 400 individual medley and gold as a member of the 800 freestyle relay – and was riding a wave of confidence heading into 2020.
When COVID hit and Olympic Trials and the Olympics were postponed, he adapted to the situation, realizing the importance of swimming in his life and focusing on both in 2021.
“When the announcement was made, I was in the water doing an intense distance set,” he said. “When we got out of the pool, my coach looked at his phone and said that the Olympics had been postponed.
“My immediate reaction was sadness that we wouldn't have the opportunity to race that summer. That feeling didn't last, and I became excited that I would have another full year to continue training and do everything that I didn't do well during 2019 now had time to be fixed. I’m excited to see what I can do in Omaha.”
Dakota Luther (200 butterfly)
Looking back on 2016 Trials, Dakota Luther is thankful for the experience and lessons it taught her.
Initially, she finished 16th and made the semifinals of the 200 butterfly when pre-race favorite Cammile Adams was disqualified for swimming on her back instead of her stomach after the third turn.
But when meet officials overturned that disqualification, Luther moved back into the 17th position (first alternate) and out of the semifinals and the event.
Having that taken away was a big eye-opener as far as seeing what she wanted to do in the future and how much she still wanted to get out of swimming.
“Without that heartbreak that I felt, I definitely wouldn’t be in the position that I am today,” she said. “I enjoyed the opportunity to just be able to watch the best of the best go about their routines and learn from them. I liked to watch how they warmed up, when they did everything and how they even held themselves.”
Since that meet, Luther has channeled that disappointment into a stellar swimming career, making the 2017 World Championship team, 2019 World University Games squad and being named to three U.S. National Teams.
Her most recent international showing – two gold medals (200 fly, 400 medley relay) and one silver medal (100 fly) at 2019 WUGs – set Luther up well heading into the 2020 Olympic year.
Even though she admits last year was a “bit of a blur,” Luther said at first, she was pretty upset about the postponement of Olympic Trials and Olympics and just the complete change in her plans and life in general.
But time away from classes, heavy training and competition gave her a new perspective about swimming and life.
“I didn’t have to take much time out of the water like many others, but it allowed me to really figure out what I wanted to accomplish with the swimming that I have left as well as to appreciate the friends and opportunities it has presented me with,” she said.
“The last 4 years had been building up to that moment, and I was in a much different position than I was at Trials last time (2016) at 16 years old. However, I realized that it would have taken a near-perfect swim with some luck at that time for me to in fact make the Olympic team. With that in mind, I think it was ideal for me to have another year to train and get stronger so that I can have a better shot this summer.”
Nic Fink (100/200 breast)
When it comes to accepting what he can control in and out of the pool, Nic Fink is optimistic.
He also knows he can control the effort he gives during practice, how he takes care of his body and how he can mitigate the risk of catching and spreading COVID-19.
It’s this last part – the continuing impact of the ongoing pandemic – that reinforced his desire to make the most of what he can and look past what he can’t.
“An important lesson that you learn in swimming is to control what you can control,” he said. “Usually, it is a way to stay focused on a race and to not worry about an outcome of a meet. But that lesson has come in handy this strange year because of COVID.”
During the early part of the pandemic when pools were closed, he started running and biking and eventually transitioned to swimming in a backyard pool attached to a short tube.
Even when things felt their most uncertain, Fink said he always knew life would eventually resume to some level of consistency and normality – and when it did, he wanted to be ready for what was coming next.
And he has been. So far this year, he’s won both the 100 and 200 breaststroke events at TYR Pro Swim Series events in San Antonio and Mission Viejo – results that have put him firmly at the top of the list of favorites heading into Trials.
“I was very excited with how my 2020 started, and I was ready to compete for a spot at the Games,” he said. “I think most people (especially pros) were on a four-year plan that involved major changes after the 2020 Games.
“So, it was a disappointment to hear the news, but I understood why the decision was made, and I also realized that this delay impacted everyone in the swimming community. Fortunately, I was able to delay my life plans and dedicate myself to another year of training in Athens (Ga,) and focusing on the Olympic Games again.”
Before the Olympics were postponed, Fink said he was planning to attend graduate school at Georgia Tech after the Games to get his master’s degree in electrical engineering.
He wasn’t necessarily going to stop competing – as the International Swimming League (ISL) has opened new annual opportunities during non-Olympic years – but he was going to scale back while he attended school.
That’s still the plan – it was just delayed a year.
And while Fink has a clear plan for his life after swimming, the next few weeks leading into his third Olympic Trials are focused on training and resting to be in his best possible shape to contend for Tokyo.
“I still feel a hunger that I want more,” said Fink, a member of World Championship (3), Pan Pacific and Pan American teams. “A driving force that says I am not satisfied with those accomplishments yet is I feel like I have more to give to the sport and to myself.
“Obviously, I want to make an Olympic Team, but if I don't, I think one day I'll be able to look back on my career and be happy with everything that I've done.”