Late surge earns Wisconsin swimmer Phoebe Bacon spot on U.S. Olympic team in 200 backstroke

MADISON – This continues to be Phoebe Bacon’s year.

The University of Wisconsin swimmer qualified for her second Olympic Games on Friday night with a second-place finish 200-meter backstroke at the USA Swimming Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Defending Olympic champion Regan Smith won the race in 2 minutes 5.16 seconds. Bacon came back during the final 50 meters to pass Claire Curzan and claim the second and final qualifying spot in the event. Bacon finished with a time of 2:06.27 seconds. Curzan touched the wall in 2:06.34.

This will be Bacon’s second Olympic appearance. She finished fifth in the event at the 2020 Games in Tokyo.

At the college level, Bacon put together a sterling career at Wisconsin that included national championships in the 200-yard backstroke as a freshman in 2021 and as a senior this year and second-place finishes in the event as a sophomore and junior.

The Maryland native’s performance at the NCAA championship this year also included a fourth-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke.

Those performances came on the heals of a Big Ten meet where Bacon won championships in the 200 back and 200 individual medley and was named the Swimmer of the Championships.

A large continent of Badgers will compete in the Games

With the addition of Bacon, there are now 10 athletes with Wisconsin Badgers ties who will compete in the Olympics.

Seven of those athletes will represent the United States: Lauren Carlini and Dana Rettke in volleyball, Grace Joyce, Lauren O’Connor, Maddi Wanamaker and Sophia Vitas in women’s rowing and Alev Kelter in women’s rugby.

Mohammah Ahmed (men’s track, Canada) and Taiko Torepe-Ormsby (men’s swimming, New Zealand) will represent other countries.