COLUMBUS, Ohio – One of the largest contingents of Ohio State swimmers ever – 14 student-athletes; 13 men and one woman – will invade the Qwest Center Omaha in Omaha, Neb. June 29 through July 6 to compete at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Swimming.

“I think this is very possibly the largest group of men’s swimmers we have ever taken to an Olympic Trials,” Bill Wadley, Ohio State men’s swimming coach, said. “It’s especially exciting to know that 11 of the 13 swimmers will be back swimming for the Buckeyes in 2008-09 as well.”

Ohio State’s contingent of men’s swimmers represents the sixth-largest group of swimmers from one team at this year’s trials. The only teams that will have a larger representation of swimmers at the trials: Longhorn Aquatics (31 men’s swimmers), Minnesota Aquatics (22), Michigan Swim Team (20), Stanford Swimming (16) and the Mecklenburg Aquatic Club (14).

Joining the 13 Buckeyes on the men’s side is Ohio State’s Jill Lockhart, from Muncie, Ind., who will be a junior for new Ohio State women's swimming coach Bill Dorenkott next season.

The Ohio State 14 to the U.S. Olympic Trials include:

Name              Age Cl.  Hometown            Event(s) Time
Andrew Bretscher  20  Jr.  Greencastle, Ind.   100 FL    :55.05
Jake Busch        21  Sr.  Toledo              200 BR   1:51.98
Alex Chen         20  Jr.  Bowie, Md.          400 FR   3:59.11
Joe Doyle         23  Gr.  Centerburg, Ohio    50 FR     :23.19
                                               100 FR    :50.69
                                               100 BF    :53.23
Joel Elber        20  Jr.  Brunswick, Ohio     50 FR     :23.19
Justin Farra      19  So.  Clarksville, Md.    200 IM   2:06.97
Michael Hulme     19  So.  Bozeman, Mont.      400 IM   4:28.08
Elliott Keefer    19  So.  Overland Park, Kan. 100 BR   1:03.86
                                               200 BR   2:19.12
Jill Lockhart     20  Jr.  Muncie, Ind.        200 BA   2:17.37
Mark Neiman       20  Jr.  Cherry Hill, N.J.   1500 FR  5:48.41
Andrew Olson      20  Jr.  Allison Park, Pa.   200 FR   1:52.75
Sam Pelkey        20  Jr.  Muncie, Ind.        100 BR   1:04.35
                                               200 BR   2:18.08
Phil Seleskie     19  So.  Hastings, Minn.     200 IM   2:06.97
Matt Voelker      23  Gr.  Arlington, Ohio     50 FR     :22.84
                                               100 FR    :50.97

The venue for this year’s trials – the Qwest Center Omaha – is an arena the competition pool has been constructed within on a temporary basis. A warm-up pool has been constructed in the adjacent Omaha Convention Center as well. Here are some additional facts about the 2008 Olympic Trials, with some information from the official U.S. Olympic Team Trials team list and psych sheet and other information based on news articles by the Omaha World-Herald:

• A total of 1,209 swimmers will take part (618 female and 591 male).
• Swimmers will represent 438 university, club and unattached teams.
• The competition pool in the Qwest Center Omaha, and its L-shaped cousin in the adjacent Omaha Convention Center are temporary.
• Myrtha Pools of Italy constructed the pools and delivered the pieces 5,000 miles by ship, train and tractor trailer to Omaha.
• The pool is constructed of three 25-meter segments at each end and 2-meter wide side panals.
• More than 200,000 bolts were used to fasten the pools’ panels together.
• The competition pool is 50 meters long, 10 lanes wide and three meters deep.
• The pool holds 1 million gallons of water and weighs approximately eight million pounds.
• The Omaha Fire Department provided the water for the pools.

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