Tuesday, August 2, 2022
Trey Freeman No Longer Feels Like a ‘Swim Imposter’
Even though he qualified fair and square for this year’s FINA World Championships, Trey Freeman spent the early part of the meet feeling like a swim imposter.
It didn’t take long, however, for him to realize he earned his spot on the team roster – and he backed that up by swimming a leg on the gold-medal-winning 4x200-meter freestyle relay team.
In all, the U.S. team brought home 45 medals – more than any previous World Championships team in meet history – and he said he’s honored to be part of something so monumental.
“Not including Open Water, I was the only one of the (Florida) Gators on the U.S. team who was not a member of the Olympic Team last summer,” said Freeman, who is entering his senior season this fall in Gainesville and is working toward his degree in sport management.
“I definitely had a little bit of imposter syndrome immediately after making the team but having much more experienced friends and training partners to learn from and prepare with gave me a big boost of confidence.”
Overall, Freeman described his World Championship experience as “incredible” – the culmination of lots of hard work, especially with his family in attendance in Budapest.
After swimming in the prelims of the 4x200m free relay, he described it as “surreal” to earn a gold medal but to also watch it happen later that evening in the event finals.
“I’ve been a swimmer for many years, but I’ve also been a swimming fan,” he said. “Getting to be at a World Championships and watch the best in the world was special, and I am glad I could be part of it.”
Freeman’s journey to World Champion wasn’t without its own set of obstacles and challenges.
After experiencing success at the Junior level, he said he struggled his first year as a Florida Gator – partially due to injury but also due to struggling mentally with how to not place undue expectations on himself.
Freeman injured his knee during his freshman season (2018-2019), and it impacted his performances. The following season, he reinjured it, requiring surgery and time out of the water.
For him, this past summer was the first time he said he felt like his true self – both in and out of the pool – since dealing with that injury.
“Making the Worlds team and having the chance to race the best of the best signaled to me that I have finally made it back to where I belong after lots of challenges,” he said.
This was evident from Freeman’s catapult up American swimming rankings. Last summer at Olympic Trials, he finished 27th in the 200 freestyle. This year, he finished fifth to earn a spot on the Worlds' relay team – a significant improvement.
Freeman said, while a lot of the credit for this goes to his teammates for their tremendous support, he knew that his performance at Olympic Trials weren’t representative of what he is capable.
He went to World Team Trials earlier this spring dead-set on proving that.
“The mental side was something I worked on this year, but most of all, I think I was more consistent this year in training than I have been in a while,” he said.
“Coming the day after the 400 free (at Trials), I did a horrible job of managing my emotions (both positive and negative), and it showed in the 200 prelims the next day.
In addition to swimming on the free relay team, Freeman also qualified in the 400 freestyle and made the event finals, finishing 8th.
He said that was a very proud moment for him albeit a tad bit overwhelming.
“To have the chance to race in a World final is something I will not soon forget,” he said, “Having (Florida) Coach (Anthony) Nesty and lots of my Florida teammates there meant a lot to me as I wouldn’t have been able to get there without them.
“I remember looking around before stepping on the blocks and realizing just how far I had come since I started swimming as a kid.”
Freeman started swimming with lessons when he was around 4 or 5. His friends from swim lessons joined the local summer league team a couple of years later, and he also joined to be with them. He began year-round swimming when he was 8.
He said his No. 1 motivator is to make his family proud as they have given lots of time and energy to help him pursue and achieve his goals in swimming and life.
“That’s the least I can do is to give my best effort for them,” he said.
He also credits his Florida teammates – specifically the pro members of the team – for all they did to help Freeman over the past year.
He said watching them train and seeing that they have good days and bad days just like him was huge in helping him realize that one practice isn’t what ensures or denies success at the end of the year.
“It’s the whole body of work throughout the season,” he added. “They push me to be my best, but they also are there to pick me up when I am down. Training with an incredibly deep and talented college team along with some of the best professionals in the world can be humbling at times, but I would not have it any other way.”
One of those professionals he trains with every day is All-World swimmer Katie Ledecky, who joined the team last year after the Olympics.
Freeman said training alongside the best female swimmer in the world motivates him every day to not be beaten by her.
“Her first day in Gainesville, she joined myself and two other distance guys on a challenging long course freestyle set, and I remember trying so hard on that set to make sure she didn’t beat me on Day 1,” Freeman said. “It was only about a month before she eventually got the best of me.
“I have learned a lot from Katie from how she manages the day to day of being a professional athlete. She truly is a professional. She understands when it’s time to have fun and when it’s time to get to work, and it has been a pleasure getting to know her and work with her the past year.”
Now, just a few months away from the start of his final season at Florida, Freeman said that the success he experienced this summer will pay dividends this year as well as the next couple of years leading up to the 2024 Olympic Trials.
And he intends to make the most of every minute.
“This summer was huge for me mentally,” said Freeman, a coffee enthusiast who loves trying new coffees and experimenting with different brewing techniques. “Making a World team was a huge achievement, and it felt like the weight was finally off my shoulders.
“Having that experience behind me will certainly be motivating, but also give me confidence in knowing I can compete with the best of the best.”
It didn’t take long, however, for him to realize he earned his spot on the team roster – and he backed that up by swimming a leg on the gold-medal-winning 4x200-meter freestyle relay team.
In all, the U.S. team brought home 45 medals – more than any previous World Championships team in meet history – and he said he’s honored to be part of something so monumental.
“Not including Open Water, I was the only one of the (Florida) Gators on the U.S. team who was not a member of the Olympic Team last summer,” said Freeman, who is entering his senior season this fall in Gainesville and is working toward his degree in sport management.
“I definitely had a little bit of imposter syndrome immediately after making the team but having much more experienced friends and training partners to learn from and prepare with gave me a big boost of confidence.”
Overall, Freeman described his World Championship experience as “incredible” – the culmination of lots of hard work, especially with his family in attendance in Budapest.
After swimming in the prelims of the 4x200m free relay, he described it as “surreal” to earn a gold medal but to also watch it happen later that evening in the event finals.
“I’ve been a swimmer for many years, but I’ve also been a swimming fan,” he said. “Getting to be at a World Championships and watch the best in the world was special, and I am glad I could be part of it.”
Freeman’s journey to World Champion wasn’t without its own set of obstacles and challenges.
After experiencing success at the Junior level, he said he struggled his first year as a Florida Gator – partially due to injury but also due to struggling mentally with how to not place undue expectations on himself.
Freeman injured his knee during his freshman season (2018-2019), and it impacted his performances. The following season, he reinjured it, requiring surgery and time out of the water.
For him, this past summer was the first time he said he felt like his true self – both in and out of the pool – since dealing with that injury.
“Making the Worlds team and having the chance to race the best of the best signaled to me that I have finally made it back to where I belong after lots of challenges,” he said.
This was evident from Freeman’s catapult up American swimming rankings. Last summer at Olympic Trials, he finished 27th in the 200 freestyle. This year, he finished fifth to earn a spot on the Worlds' relay team – a significant improvement.
Freeman said, while a lot of the credit for this goes to his teammates for their tremendous support, he knew that his performance at Olympic Trials weren’t representative of what he is capable.
He went to World Team Trials earlier this spring dead-set on proving that.
“The mental side was something I worked on this year, but most of all, I think I was more consistent this year in training than I have been in a while,” he said.
“Coming the day after the 400 free (at Trials), I did a horrible job of managing my emotions (both positive and negative), and it showed in the 200 prelims the next day.
In addition to swimming on the free relay team, Freeman also qualified in the 400 freestyle and made the event finals, finishing 8th.
He said that was a very proud moment for him albeit a tad bit overwhelming.
“To have the chance to race in a World final is something I will not soon forget,” he said, “Having (Florida) Coach (Anthony) Nesty and lots of my Florida teammates there meant a lot to me as I wouldn’t have been able to get there without them.
“I remember looking around before stepping on the blocks and realizing just how far I had come since I started swimming as a kid.”
Freeman started swimming with lessons when he was around 4 or 5. His friends from swim lessons joined the local summer league team a couple of years later, and he also joined to be with them. He began year-round swimming when he was 8.
He said his No. 1 motivator is to make his family proud as they have given lots of time and energy to help him pursue and achieve his goals in swimming and life.
“That’s the least I can do is to give my best effort for them,” he said.
He also credits his Florida teammates – specifically the pro members of the team – for all they did to help Freeman over the past year.
He said watching them train and seeing that they have good days and bad days just like him was huge in helping him realize that one practice isn’t what ensures or denies success at the end of the year.
“It’s the whole body of work throughout the season,” he added. “They push me to be my best, but they also are there to pick me up when I am down. Training with an incredibly deep and talented college team along with some of the best professionals in the world can be humbling at times, but I would not have it any other way.”
One of those professionals he trains with every day is All-World swimmer Katie Ledecky, who joined the team last year after the Olympics.
Freeman said training alongside the best female swimmer in the world motivates him every day to not be beaten by her.
“Her first day in Gainesville, she joined myself and two other distance guys on a challenging long course freestyle set, and I remember trying so hard on that set to make sure she didn’t beat me on Day 1,” Freeman said. “It was only about a month before she eventually got the best of me.
“I have learned a lot from Katie from how she manages the day to day of being a professional athlete. She truly is a professional. She understands when it’s time to have fun and when it’s time to get to work, and it has been a pleasure getting to know her and work with her the past year.”
Now, just a few months away from the start of his final season at Florida, Freeman said that the success he experienced this summer will pay dividends this year as well as the next couple of years leading up to the 2024 Olympic Trials.
And he intends to make the most of every minute.
“This summer was huge for me mentally,” said Freeman, a coffee enthusiast who loves trying new coffees and experimenting with different brewing techniques. “Making a World team was a huge achievement, and it felt like the weight was finally off my shoulders.
“Having that experience behind me will certainly be motivating, but also give me confidence in knowing I can compete with the best of the best.”