USA Swimming’s final long-course meter event before June’s Olympic Trials started Wednesday with just two events, and a pair of Mountaineers were there to get the week started.
Seniors Ivan Puskovitch and William Mullen swam in the men’s 1500-meter freestyle on Wednesday. The event was the first of 14 featuring WVU swimmers this week at the TYR Pro Swim Series in San Antonio
The Swim Series, like most USA Swimming events, slightly differs in terms of event distance with the NCAA, which uses yards as its primary unit of measurement. The 1500 closest resembles the 1650-yard freestyle event, which Puskovitch and Mullen hold WVU’s top two times in program history respectively.
Puskovitch already earned a bid to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris in 10 kilometer open water swimming during the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar. This week, in the pool, Puskovitch will swim four events total in efforts of reaching the Olympic Trials mark.
Both Puskovitch and Mullen fell short of the 15:39.89 mark in the 1500 freestyle, but placed 13th and 17th respectively. Puskovitch finished the race in 15:51.44 while Mullen’s time came in at 16:15.91.
Each swimmer’s time was short of his personal best in the event and was a far cry from his personal best in the 1650-yard event. Puskovitch’s bests in the 1500-meter and 1650-yard events sit at 15:31.28 and 15:11.92 respectively while Mullen’s are recorded at 15:45.96 and 15:20.04.
Missing the Olympic Trials mark is not the end of the world for either swimmer, though, as both Mullen and Puskovitch have plenty of time left in San Antonio. The pair will swim together two more times in the tournament, in the 400-meter freestyle on Thursday and in the 800-meter freestyle on Saturday. Puskovitch also competes in the 400-meter individual medley alongside Danny Berlitz on Friday.
Thursday preliminary rounds begin at 9 a.m. with the women’s 100-meter freestyle. WVU sophomore Ada Szwabinska will compete in the event, while senior Roanoke Shirk and juniors Conner McBeth and Braden Osborn will swim in the men’s event. Sophomore Mia Cheatwood and senior Danny Berlitz will compete in the women’s and men’s 100-meter breaststroke respectively with Puskovitch and Mullen rounding out Thursday’s group in the 400-meter freestyle.
Photo from WVU Swimming & Diving
