After 2 Hip Surgeries, Louisville’s Underdahl Qualifies for Olympic Trials

2019 Volunteer Invitational

• June 10th-12th
• Knoxville, TN
• Hosted by Tennesee Aquatics
• Long Course Meters
• Results on MeetMobile

Rising Louisville senior Sofie Underdahl has undergone two hip surgeries and physical therapy over the past two years. Last night at the Volunteer Invite in Knoxville, Underdahl qualified for US Summer Nationals in the 100 back – and then qualified for next year’s Olympic Trials in the 200 back this morning. In the 100 back, she raced to a 1:02.88, undercutting her previous best time of 1:03.22 from 2017. This morning in the 200 back, Underdahl crushed her previous best time of 2:15.73, getting her hand on the wall in 2:14.53. The time was not only a Nationals cut for this Summer, it also qualified Underdahl for the US Olympic Trials next June in Omaha. Underdahl will race in finals of the 200 back tonight, where she will have another opportunity to lower her mark.

Erika Brown has come very close to her personal bests at this meet. Brown won the women’s 100 fly, roaring to a 59.16, which sits just .21 seconds off her personal best of 58.95. Brown also won the 50 free, swimming a 25.33, which is very close to her personal best of 25.17. She swam prelims of the 100 back, going 1:01.97 (1:00.96 PR), but did not swim finals of that race. This morning Brown posted a 55.28 to take tonight’s top seed in the 100 free. Her best in the 100 free is 54.36.

Tennessee’s Tess Cieplucha swam a very speedy in-season 400 IM of 4:43.65. Cieplucha has both a personal and season best of 4:38.96, whoch she fired off at the Canadian Trials in April. Teammate Meghan Small came in 2nd, blasting a new personal best of 4:45.20. Small had previously been as fast as 4:47.56, which was back in 4:47.56. Molly Hannis put up a 1:07.87 to win the women’s 100 breast. The time was not far off Hannis’ season best of 1:07.25. Her personal best is 1:05.78 from last Summer.

Louisville’s Nick Albiero won both men’s fly events. Albiero posted a 54.32 en route to winning the 100 fly. In prelims, he had swum a 54.25. He’s been as fast as 53.78 this season. In the 200 fly, Albiero swam a 2:01.65, also just off his season best of 2:00.87. Marcelo Acosta won both the men’s 200 and 400 frees. Acosta swam a 1:51.82 in the 200 free, bringing him fairly close to his personal best of 1:50.35. He clocked a 3:55.69 in the 400 free, which was off his season best of 3:54.55.