Aug. 6, 2007

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Richmond swimmers Lauren Beaudreau, Jessica Witt and Alex Helland competed last week at the USA Swimming National Championships in Indianapolis. Beaudreau highlighted the meet for the Spiders, finishing 18th in the 200-yard individual medley on Sunday to clinch a 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials spot.

Beaudreau, who finished 63rd in the 200 breast and 54th in the 400 IM earlier in the meet, took 18th Sunday in the 200 IM. Her time of 2:16.85 was nearly three seconds faster than her prelim time and good for a spot in the U.S. Olympic Trials to be held June 30-July 7, 2008 in Omaha, Neb. The rising junior, who was named the Atlantic 10 Most Outstanding Performer, will also swim the Olympic Trials in the 400 IM and 200 breast after qualifying in this same meet last summer.

A rising senior, Witt finished 24th overall in the 400 IM Wednesday evening. Her time in the preliminaries of 4:56.36 was just 0.47 seconds shy of a berth in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials. Witt is also competed in the 2007 Indianapolis Grand Prix 10K Open Water Race Sunday morning (not part of this meet) and finished 12th overall. Her finish qualifies her for the World Championship Trials in Fort Myers, Fla. on October 20, 2007.

Rising sophomore Alex Helland finished 88th in the 100 back.

More than 1,000 swimmers, including U.S. Olympians Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Katie Hoff, Ian Crocker and Kate Ziegler were in Indianapolis for the meet at the historic Indiana University Natatorium on the campus of IUPUI. These Nationals represent the last long-course National Championships before the 2008 Olympic Trials.

Rising sophomore Katie Sieben is set to compete in the USA Swimming Junior National Championships Aug. 6-10 in Indianapolis.