What Happened to the Swimmers Who Won Events at Wave I of the 2021 US Olympic Trials?

In 2021, due to the situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, USA Swimming made an unusual decision, splitting the 2020 US Olympic Trials meet into two waves, called Wave I and Wave II. The decision was made with the hopes of limiting the number of swimmers in attendance at the meet amid the pandemic. 

In order to qualify for Wave I of the meet, swimmers would need to hit the Olympic Trials Qualifying Standards originally posted by USA Swimming when the qualifying period opened. However, to advance to Wave II of the meet, swimmers needed to hit a faster time standard, with the caveat that the 2 fastest swimmers in each event at Wave I would automatically qualify for Wave II. Ultimately, 892 swimmers ended up qualifying for Wave I of the meet, while 651 qualified for Wave II based on qualifying times, giving each meet essentially half of the number of swimmers usually in attendance at an Olympic Trials meet. 

2021 US Olympic Trials Cuts

While Wave II was held under the traditional Olympic Trials format, with prelims, semifinals, and finals in most of the events, Wave I was held over a shorter time span before the start of Wave II, with only prelims and finals occurring. 

Over 3 years later, with another Olympic cycle now under our belts, I began to think about the swimmers who participated in the Wave I meet. Did any members of the 2024 US Olympic Team participate in Wave I? Did any of those swimmers win an event at Wave I? What happened to the rest of the swimmers who won events at Wave I? Did any of those other swimmers qualify for the 2024 Olympic Trials? 

With these questions in mind, I set out on a research quest. It evolved into both this article, and another to follow, analyzing the results of Wave I and where those swimmers are now. In this article, I will solely explore the careers of the winners from Wave I, examining where they are now in their swimming careers. 

Quick Points:

• 27 different swimmers won an event at Wave I of the 2021 US Olympic Trials
• 11 of those 27 swimmers appear to have since retired or have only competed on a limited basis
• 16 swimmers qualified for Olympic Trials again in 2024, with 15 of those swimmers competing (Gracie Weyant was a late scratch out of the meet)
• 4 of the 2021 Wave I winners advanced to the semifinals of an event in 2024
• Only 1 Wave I event winner made it to a final at 2024 Trials

The only swimmer to win an event at Wave I in 2021 who advanced to a final in 2024 was Colby Mefford, who competes for Cal. Mefford won the 200 backstroke in 2021, and since then has actually become much more well-known for his butterfly. At the 2024 US Olympic Trials, Mefford advanced to the final in the 200 butterfly, finishing 5th overall and likely earning himself a spot on the US National Team this year. His time of 1:56.43 was about a second and a half shy of qualifying for the Olympic Team. Mefford also placed 14th in the 200 backstroke at the 2024 NCAA Championships. 

Besides Mefford, the other swimmers who made it to the semifinals in 2024 include Camille Spink, Patrick Sammon, and Carl Bloebaum. 

Spink and Sammon, who won their respective 100 freestyle races in 2021, made it to the semifinals rounds in multiple events. Sammon, who represents ASU, just missed making the final in the 100 free, finishing 9th in the semis (48.29). He also finished 13th in the 200 free (1:47.23), but his prelims time of 1:46.72 would’ve qualified for the final. Spink rapidly rose to sprint prominence following her standout performance in 2021 that saw her actually advance to the semifinal in the 50 freestyle at Wave II Trials, despite only qualifying for the meet via her Wave I results. At the 2024 Trials, now representing the University of Tennessee, Spink qualified for the semifinals of the 200 free and 200 IM. Her highest finish came in the 200 IM where she finished 12th (2:14.36). Both Sammon and Spink have also represented the US on the international stage, with Spink winning bronze in the 200 free at the 2023 Pan American Games and Sammon winning the 100 freestyle at the 2023 LEN U23 Championships.

Representing Virginia Tech, Bloebaum finished 16th in the semifinals of the 200 fly at the 2024 Olympic Trials meet, swimming a time of 2:02.05. 

In addition to the aforementioned swimmers, another 12 swimmers qualified for the 2024 US Olympic Trials, with 11 of those swimmers competing at the meet:

• Missy Cundiff – qualified for the 50 free, finished 36th (25.59)
• Jack Armstrong – qualified for the 50 free, finished 19th (22.34)
• Ivan Kurakin – qualified for 400 free, finished 27th (3:53.39)
• Hayden Miller – qualified for the 400 free, 800 free, and 1500 free, finished 17th (4:11.60), 13th (8:39.70), 16th (16:36.58)
• Joshua Brown – qualified for the 400 free, 800, free, and 1500 free, finished 35th (3:55.05), 13th (8:00.76), 11th (15:18.14)
• Sophie Brison – qualified for the 200 back, finished 41st (2:14.22)
• Zhier Fan – qualified for the 200 back, finished 43rd (2:01.92)
• Nikki Venema – qualified for the 100 fly, finished 76th (1:02.10)
• Kate McCarville – qualified for the 200 free, 400 free, 800 free, 1500 free, 200 fly, finished 36th (2:00.72), 14th (4:11.26), 22nd (8:44.17), 25th (16:46.11), 36th (2:14.16)
• Tristan Dewitt – qualified for the 1500 free and 400 IM, finished 35th (15:40.82) and 55th (4:27.51)
• Tyler Kopp – qualified for the 400 IM, finished 26th (4:22.32)

Gracie Weyant was also entered to swim at Olympic Trials, however, she was a late scratch from the meet. 

Despite not qualifying for any finals or semifinals at the 2024 US Olympic Trials, Joshua Brown did represent the United States at the 2024 World Championships in open water, swimming both the 5K and 10K.

Out of the remaining swimmers, 11 of them appear to have either retired since 2021. A few of those swimmers have competed since then, albeit on a limited basis. Despite not competing at Trials this year, Kristin Cornish and Heather Maccausland each showed significant results in the short course pool in 2023. Cornish, who swims at Johns Hopkins, won the NCAA Division III Championship titles in the 1650 and 500 free. Maccausland finished 5th in the 100 breaststroke at the 2023 NCAA Division I Championships while swimming for NC State. However, she hasn’t competed since that meet. Men’s 1500 freestyle winner Garrett McGovern, a 2024 graduate of the Naval Academy did not compete this long course season as he is beginning his 5-year commission as a Navy pilot. 

Despite none of the swimmers who won at Wave I in 2021 making the team in 2024, many of them have produced significant swims since then. Though the meet may have been unheard of at the time, and remains unconventional compared to the traditional competition format, it produced a great environment for relatively unknown swimmers to highlight themselves on the national stage. There are also several swimmers who competed at the Wave I meet who have since represented the US on the Olympic stage, which will be a topic of further exploration to come. 

2020 US Olympic Trials Wave I Event Winners:

• Women 50 LC Meter Freestyle: Missy Cundiff
• Men 50 LC Meter Freestyle: Jack Armstrong
• Women 100 LC Meter Freestyle: Camille Spink
• Men 100 LC Meter Freestyle: Patrick Sammon
• Women 200 LC Meter Freestyle: Malia Rausch
• Men 200 LC Meter Freestyle: Liam Bresette
• Women 400 LC Meter Freestyle: Sally Tafuto
• Men 400 LC Meter Freestyle: Ivan Kurakin
• Women 800 LC Meter Freestyle: Hayden Miller
• Men 800 LC Meter Freestyle: Garrett McGovern
• Women 1500 LC Meter Freestyle: Kristin Cornish
• Men 1500 LC Meter Freestyle: Joshua Brown
• Women 100 LC Meter Backstroke: Autumn Haebig
• Men 100 LC Meter Backstroke: Jacob Steele
• Women 200 LC Meter Backstroke: Sophie Brison
• Men 200 LC Meter Backstroke: Colby Mefford
• Women 100 LC Meter Breaststroke: Heather Maccausland
• Men 100 LC Meter Breaststroke: Zhier Fan
• Women 200 LC Meter Breaststroke: Gracie Weyant
• Men 200 LC Meter Breaststroke: Alec Cullen
• Women 100 LC Meter Butterfly: Nikki Venema
• Men 100 LC Meter Butterfly: Micah Slaton
• Women 200 LC Meter Butterfly: Katie Trace
• Men 200 LC Meter Butterfly: Carl Bloebaum
• Women 200 LC Meter IM: Kate McCarville
• Men 200 LC Meter IM: Tristan Dewitt
• Women 400 LC Meter IM: Kate McCarville
• Men 400 LC Meter IM: Tyler Kopp