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Aug. 1, 2000
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Nineteen swimmers who competed for the University of Virginia in the 1999-2000 season will be competing in the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials August 9-16 in Indianapolis, Ind. In addition, two UVa alumni, including 1996 Olympic gold medalist Melanie Valerio, and 10 incoming first-years will be competing for the privilege to represent the United States in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, September 15-October 1. In all, 31 swimmers with Virginia ties will be competing for spots on the U.S. Olympic team. Not included in that total of 31 are three swimmers with UVa affiliations, including two current swimmers, who have already earned a trip to Sydney on other countries’ Olympic teams.
The two Cavalier swimmers who have already earned spots on Olympic teams for other countries are rising second-years Mirjana Bosevska (Skopje, Macedonia/Trinity Prep) and Guy Yimsomruay (Bangkok, Thailand/Germantown), while Shamek Pietucha (Edmonton, Alberta/Louis St. Laurent), a 1999 graduate of the University of Virginia, has also earned an Olympic berth.
Bosevska has qualified to represent Macedonia at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Bosevska, the 2000 ACC Women’s Rookie of the Year, also represented her native Macedonia in the 1996 Olympics. She will compete in the 400 and 800-meter freestyle, as well as the 400-meter individual medley. Yimsomruay has made the Thai Olympic team and will swim in the 200-meter individual medley. Pietucha will swim for his native Canada in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He will compete in the 100 and 200-meter butterfly. Pietucha won the 200-meter butterfly at the 2000 Maritime Life Olympic Swimming Trials in Montreal on May 31 after setting the Canadian national record in the semifinals with a time of 1:58.08. He finished second in the finals of the 100-meter butterfly to earn an Olympic berth in that event as well.
Headlining the 1999-2000 Virginia swimming team members competing in the U.S. Olympic Trials is rising third-year Ed Moses (Burke, Va./Lake Braddock). Moses will compete in the 100 and 200-meter breaststroke after winning NCAA and Phillips 66 National Championships in both events earlier this year. He set shortcourse (25-meter pool) world records in the 100 and 200 breaststroke at the NCAAs. Moses was ranked number one in the world in the 100 breaststroke earlier this year and is currently ranked third. He is ranked seventh in the 200 breaststroke.
Doak Finch (Southern Pines, N.C./O’Neal) and Austin Ramirez (Brookfield, Wisc./Brookfield Central), who share the UVa record with 11 All-America honors apiece, are two more of UVa’s best Olympic hopefuls. Finch, who set a UVa record by earning five All-American certificates at the 2000 NCAA Championships in March, will compete in the 100 and 200-meter butterfly at the trials. His best performance at the NCAAs was a fourth-place finish in the 200-meter butterfly. Ramirez, who was named the Most Valuable Swimmer of the ACC Championships in February after winning three individual events and one relay title, will compete in the 200 and 400-meter freestyle. At the ACC’s, he won both the 500 and 1650 free for the fourth consecutive year, marking just the second time an ACC swimmer has won four consecutive titles in two events. He also won the 200 free and swam the anchor leg on UVa’s winning 800 free relay.
Rising second-year Cara Lane (Charlotte, N.C./Providence) will compete in three events at the Olympic Trials, the 400 and 800-meter freestyle and the 200-meter butterfly. As a freshman in 2000, Lane became UVa’s first woman to win a NCAA title as she won the 1500-meter freestyle with a time of 16:03.59. Lane, a four-time All-American, was selected as the 2000 ACC Championship Most Valuable Swimmer after winning three individual titles and one relay crown. She was also named the ACC Women’s Swimmer of the Year.
Valerio, a 1991 graduate of Virginia, won a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics as a member of the USA’s 400-meter freestyle relay team. The seven-time All-American is competing in the 100-meter freestyle at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Jason Webb, who graduated in 1998, will be competing in the 100 and 200-meter backstroke. Webb is a four-time All-American in the 200 backstroke.
Ten of Virginia’s recruits for the 2000-01 season have also qualified to participate in the U.S. Olympic Trials. Included in the group are six men’s recruits and four women’s recruits.
A maximum of 26 men and 26 women will be selected for the U.S. Olympic Team. First priority is given to all event winners and the top four finishers in the 100 and 200-meter freestyle. Second priority is given to second place finishers in all events except the 100 and 200 freestyle. If slots are still available on the team, the next priority goes to the fifth and sixth-place finishers in the 100 and 200 free.
2000 Virginia Swimming OlympiansGuy Yimsomruay (Thailand) 200-meter individual medleyMirjana Bosevska (Macedonia) 400 and 800-meter freestyle, 400-meter individual medleyShamek Pietucha ’99 (Canada) 100 and 200-meter butterfly
U.S. Olympic Trials ParticipantsMEN Event(s)Jonathan Baird 100 and 200-meter breaststrokeJustin Capuco 200-meter breaststrokeDan DeMarco 1500-meter freestyleDoak Finch 100 and 200-meter butterflyMichael Fuller 200-meter butterfly, 400 and 1500-meter freestyleJamie Grimes 1500-meter freestyleTroy Johnson 50, 100 and 200-meter freestyleMatt Lee 100-meter butterflyEd Moses 100 and 200-meter breaststrokeChris Mousetis 100 and 200-meter backstroke, 200-meter individual medleyAustin Ramirez 200 and 400-meter freestyleEvan Taylor 100 and 200-meter butterflyMike Wheeler 400-meter freestyle, 400-meter individual medley, 200-meter backstrokeDan Zurowski 200-meter butterfly
WOMENKori Forster 100-meter butterflyMegan Iffland 100 and 200-meter backstroke, 50-meter freestyleCara Lane 400 and 800-meter freestyle, 200-meter butterflyMegan Roesch 100-meter freestyleLaura Sullivan 400-meter freestyle, 200-meter butterfly
ALUMNIMelanie Valerio 100-meter freestyleJason Webb 100 and 200-meter backstroke