Crippen Moves To Finals Of 1500 Freestyle At Olympic Trials

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July 13, 2004

LONG BEACH, Calif. – University of Virginia third-year swimmer Fran Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa./Germantown Academy) finished seventh in the preliminaries of the 1500-meter freestyle Tuesday (July 13) at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials at the Charter All Digital Aquatic Centre in Long Beach, Calif. With his performance, Crippen advanced to the finals of the 1500-meter free, which will be held Wednesday evening (July 14).

Crippen, the 2003 and 2004 Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Swimmer of the Year, won the second heat of the 1500-meter free with a time of 15:34.25 and qualified for the finals seventh overall. The finals of the 1500-meter free will be held on Wednesday evening (July 14). The top two finishers in the 1500 free earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team. The 1500 free is the final event of the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Crippen was one of three swimmers with UVa ties to compete in the 1500-meter free prelims. Former Virginia swimmer Jamie Grimes (Olney, Md./Sherwood) placed 18th overall with a time of 15:44.57, while second-year John Millen (Lilburn, Ga./Parkview) was 20th in a time of 15:48.64.