Three Fit for USA Swimming Nationals, Brown Represents Kentucky at SEC Career Tour
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Three swimmers will travel to Greensboro, North Carolina, Wednesday to compete in the 2018 USA Swimming Winter Nationals Nov. 28-Dec. 1, while junior Glen Brown will represent Kentucky in the Southeastern Conference Career Tour in Atlanta from Nov. 27-29.
Junior Ali Galyer, junior Peter Wetzlar and sophomore Bailey Bonnett will compete as individuals in the USA Swimming Winter Nationals Wednesday through Saturday in the Greensboro Aquatic Center, the site of the 2015 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship.
“It’s a good chance for the group that’s going to get some in-season long course times and maybe get a few early Olympic trial cuts,” said head coach Lars Jorgensen. “It’s been awhile since we’ve raced long course and it’s nice to mix it up for people like Ali Galyer and Peter Wetzlar, who have some real Olympic and international potential.”
Galyer will swim in the 400-meter freestyle and the 100- and 200-meter backstroke. Wetzlar will compete in the 50- and 100-meter freestyle and the 100-meter butterfly. Bonnett will compete in the 200-meter individual medley and the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke.
The qualifying period for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials will begin Wednesday, therefore the national meet will mark the first opportunity swimmers have to qualify for the Olympic Team Trials. Preliminary events will be hosted each day at 9 a.m. ET, while finals will begin each day at 5 p.m. ET.
There is a variety of opportunities to watch the Winter Nationals. Those interested in streaming the races can view most of the events on usaswimming.org, while Thursday “A” Finals and Friday “A” Finals will be streamed on nbcsports.com. For additional viewing opportunities, the Olympic Channel will air Thursday “A” Finals and Friday “A” Finals on TV. Taped broadcasts of all final events will also be available – NBC Sports Network will air a taped broadcast at 10 p.m. ET Dec. 2. It will rerun on NBC at 3 p.m. ET Dec. 16.
Meanwhile, Brown will represent Kentucky at the third-annual SEC Career Tour. Twenty-nine student athletes from 15 different sports and each conference school will take part in the three-day career opportunity, which annually leads up to the SEC Football Championship Game.
“I am very thankful for this opportunity and for the Kentucky Athletic Department choosing me to attend the SEC Career Tour,” Brown said. “I hope to make this a successful trip and to meet many professionals.”
The gathering is designed to help provide career opportunities for student-athletes. The itinerary includes stops at several company headquarters, where the 29 student-athletes will have the opportunity to meet and talk with executives. Some of the companies the student-athletes will visit are UPS, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, The Home Depot and the Atlanta Hawks organization.
“Glen has grown and matured so much since he joined the program a little over two years ago,” Jorgensen said. “He is a great student-athlete and has matured to be a really good leader on our team. I think Glen is one of those people that will be highly successful in life.”
For the latest on the Kentucky swimming and diving program, follow @UKSwimDive on Twitter and on Instagram, on Facebook and on the web at UKathletics.com.
