Missouri Freshman Alex Ochsenbein Earns 1st Olympic Trials Cut With 1:01.97 100 Breast

2024 COLUMBIA SPRING SECTIONALS

• March 14-18, 2024
• Mizzou Aquatics Center, Columbia, MO
• MM “Region VIII Speedo Spring Sectionals”
• LCM (50 meters)
• Day 1 Recap
• Day 2 Recap

After just missing the men’s 200 breast Olympic Trials cut, Missouri’s Alex Ochsenbein earned the cut in the 100 breast swimming to a win in a 1:01.97. The cut stands at a 1:02.19. He dropped over a second in his swim as his previous best was a 1:03.04 from June 2023. Missouri teammate Logan Ottke was 2nd in a 1:03.14.

16 year old Whitaker Steward also highlighted the night winning the 400 free in a 3:58.78. The Trials cut is a 3:55.59. Whitaker notably earned his first Trials cut on night 1 swimming to a win in the 1500 free. Steward dropped over three seconds off his best time as he had never been under the 4:02 mark before. He won the event tonight by over five seconds as teammate Ellis Crisci was 2nd in a 4:04.24.

Matthew Judkins battled it out with Matthew Ross in the 200 fly. Judkins earned the win in a 2:04.23 touching just ahead of Ross who touched in a 2:04.64. Judkins is headed to Missouri this fall.

16 year old John Thumann was in a tight race in the 100 back with Nate Thomas. Thumann earned the win in a 57.16 while Thomas was 2nd in a 57.24. Thumann swam a best by almost a second as his previous best was a 58.11.

After winning the 200 free last night, 24 year old Molly Gowans won the 400 free in a 4:20.74. Gowans’ best time of a 4:11.55 is from 2018 Canadian Trials. Nora Lee Brown was 2nd in a 4:24.09, and she will head to Kenyon this fall.

Missouri’s Karolina Bank swam to a win in the 100 breast swimming a 1:10.62 to finish almost a second ahead of teammate Holly Dennis who swam a 1:11.45. Dennis was slightly faster in prelims with a 1:11.34 then.

Just missing the Trials cut was Isabelle Ackley who swam to a 1:02.05 in the 100 back as the cut stands at a 1:01.89. That was a huge best time for the FGCU commit as her previous best was a 1:04.80 from this past July. Ackley will be welcomed to FGCU this fall after also progressing in the 100 back this season dropping from a 53.59 to a 52.72 in the SCY version of the event. Hayden Gibson was 2nd in a 1:03.45.

16 year old Hannah Renaud won the 200 fly in a 2:18.86 to win by almost three seconds as Emma Belk was 2nd in a 2:20.69. Renaud dropped about five seconds as her previous best was a 2:23.47 from Summer NCSAs.