Lehigh Swimmers Reflect on Olympic Trials Experience
7/2/2016 10:14:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving, Features
Part V of our summer series featuring the Lehigh swimming and diving program
OMAHA, Neb. – It had been nearly five decades since Lehigh had a swimmer qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials, but that all changed in a big way this week with four swimmers all heading to this year's trials in Omaha, Nebraska. The opportunity to compete in an event that determines which athletes will move onto Rio de Janeiro for next month's Summer Olympics is an accomplishment not lost on rising seniors Jamal Willis, Jacob Moyar, Justin White and Kaitlyn Ruffing.
"Representing Lehigh was something one could only dream of," said Willis, who swam a solid race in the 50 meter freestyle, finishing second in his heat with a time of 23.38 seconds. "Many of my peers and professors sent their best wishes to us and it was an honor to represent them this week. I can only hope our performance made them proud."
Well wishes were plentiful both from back home in Bethlehem, as well as Omaha, as several Lehigh swimming alums made their way to the Midwest to cheer on the Mountain Hawks in person.
"To have four swimmers qualify in one year after only having two qualify in the history of Lehigh swimming and diving speaks volumes for the program," Moyar said. "Then to have so many of the alumni come to the meet to cheer us on made the experience even sweeter. On Tuesday we actually had a chance to meet some of the ones who came. They were so kind and supportive of us. I was proud to represent them and our school."
"One thing I can take away from trials is the support we have from our peers," Willis said. "The Lehigh family is strong and has supported us through the entire journey."
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"Having the opportunity to represent Lehigh as the first and only woman to compete at Olympic Trials was truly incredible," Ruffing said. "It was so meaningful to have alums watching us and showing their Lehigh pride."
Moyar was the first Mountain Hawk off the blocks on Tuesday morning in the 200 meter butterfly, finishing with a time of 2:05.38 in 77th place. It was the culmination of an extended journey for Moyar to qualify, and one that he won't soon forget.
"I think that for us, this meet is mainly about just enjoying an experience that most of us will never get again," Moyar said. "So even though we haven't seen many best times out of our own teammates or friends, just watching them compete at the most elite national swim meet has been very rewarding."
Willis and White both competed on Friday morning in the 50m freestyle, where White sprinted to the other side of the pool in 23.56 seconds. Ruffing was the final member of the team to compete, having to wait until the final day of prelims on Saturday for the women's 50m freestyle, touching the wall in 26.85 seconds.
Whether it be current or former club teammates from back home or training partners from other area schools, the group had many connections to other swimmers competing this week. Competing with them and cheering them on was just as rewarding as seeing the nation's biggest swim stars and former Olympians under one roof.
"Leah Smith, a former swimmer at JCC (my club team), actually made the 2016 Rio Olympic team in three events," Ruffing said. "Jacob, Justin, and Jamal represented Lehigh very well with their hard fought swims, and I'll never forget the memories made with them at this meet."
"Watching our friends compete at trials was amazing," Willis said. "I got to see some peers that I haven't seen in years and it was great to see them stick with the sport through the years and reach Olympic Trials. Everyone swam well and some of my friends were able to progress to the semi-finals. It was fun cheering for them."
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"Seeing friends at Olympic Trials really brings everything full circle," added White, who was one of three Fenwick High School (Ill.) alums to compete in Omaha this week. "Training as hard as we do is incredibly taxing and I cannot be more proud to spend these moments with some of my best friends."
With plenty of support from all corners, the quartet hopes to bring back experiences that can help continue to grow the Lehigh program as they head into next season. Passing on their experiences began this week while they were in Omaha, as the group was able to live video chat with Lehigh swim camp participants back in Bethlehem.
"Every race that goes off of the blocks is another learning opportunity for us," Moyar said. "Watching the different stroke techniques and race strategies has given us plenty of ideas on what to work on next season. Hopefully we can effectively bring what we've learned back to the team and help others improve as well. I'm very excited to see what new milestones the team will reach next year with this meet under our belt and our incoming first-years being added to the roster."
"Watching some of the top swimmers compete really inspired me to use the rest of the summer to my advantage and train as hard as I can," Ruffing said. "I hope all four of us can use this experience as a spark to help ignite the drive in our team so that we can really hit the ground running in the fall."
"It has been such an honor and a dream come true to represent Lehigh at the highest level of USA swimming," White said. "Building such a great base back in Bethlehem has really made this whole experience incredible. I will use this experience to bring energy to our team this season at Lehigh. Hopefully this week will show the classes below me the opportunities available to them when you put in the work."
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RELATED:
Part IV: Four Lehigh Swimmers Ready to Compete at Olympic Trials
Part III:Â Moyar Qualifies for Olympic Trials at Memorial Day Meet
Part II:Â Moyar Locked In for Memorial Day Olympic Trial Qualifying Meet
Part I:Â Three Mountain Hawks Preparing for Olympic Trials
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OMAHA, Neb. – It had been nearly five decades since Lehigh had a swimmer qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials, but that all changed in a big way this week with four swimmers all heading to this year's trials in Omaha, Nebraska. The opportunity to compete in an event that determines which athletes will move onto Rio de Janeiro for next month's Summer Olympics is an accomplishment not lost on rising seniors Jamal Willis, Jacob Moyar, Justin White and Kaitlyn Ruffing.
"Representing Lehigh was something one could only dream of," said Willis, who swam a solid race in the 50 meter freestyle, finishing second in his heat with a time of 23.38 seconds. "Many of my peers and professors sent their best wishes to us and it was an honor to represent them this week. I can only hope our performance made them proud."
Well wishes were plentiful both from back home in Bethlehem, as well as Omaha, as several Lehigh swimming alums made their way to the Midwest to cheer on the Mountain Hawks in person.
"To have four swimmers qualify in one year after only having two qualify in the history of Lehigh swimming and diving speaks volumes for the program," Moyar said. "Then to have so many of the alumni come to the meet to cheer us on made the experience even sweeter. On Tuesday we actually had a chance to meet some of the ones who came. They were so kind and supportive of us. I was proud to represent them and our school."
"One thing I can take away from trials is the support we have from our peers," Willis said. "The Lehigh family is strong and has supported us through the entire journey."
Â
"Having the opportunity to represent Lehigh as the first and only woman to compete at Olympic Trials was truly incredible," Ruffing said. "It was so meaningful to have alums watching us and showing their Lehigh pride."
Moyar was the first Mountain Hawk off the blocks on Tuesday morning in the 200 meter butterfly, finishing with a time of 2:05.38 in 77th place. It was the culmination of an extended journey for Moyar to qualify, and one that he won't soon forget.
"I think that for us, this meet is mainly about just enjoying an experience that most of us will never get again," Moyar said. "So even though we haven't seen many best times out of our own teammates or friends, just watching them compete at the most elite national swim meet has been very rewarding."
Willis and White both competed on Friday morning in the 50m freestyle, where White sprinted to the other side of the pool in 23.56 seconds. Ruffing was the final member of the team to compete, having to wait until the final day of prelims on Saturday for the women's 50m freestyle, touching the wall in 26.85 seconds.
Whether it be current or former club teammates from back home or training partners from other area schools, the group had many connections to other swimmers competing this week. Competing with them and cheering them on was just as rewarding as seeing the nation's biggest swim stars and former Olympians under one roof.
"Leah Smith, a former swimmer at JCC (my club team), actually made the 2016 Rio Olympic team in three events," Ruffing said. "Jacob, Justin, and Jamal represented Lehigh very well with their hard fought swims, and I'll never forget the memories made with them at this meet."
"Watching our friends compete at trials was amazing," Willis said. "I got to see some peers that I haven't seen in years and it was great to see them stick with the sport through the years and reach Olympic Trials. Everyone swam well and some of my friends were able to progress to the semi-finals. It was fun cheering for them."
Â
"Seeing friends at Olympic Trials really brings everything full circle," added White, who was one of three Fenwick High School (Ill.) alums to compete in Omaha this week. "Training as hard as we do is incredibly taxing and I cannot be more proud to spend these moments with some of my best friends."
With plenty of support from all corners, the quartet hopes to bring back experiences that can help continue to grow the Lehigh program as they head into next season. Passing on their experiences began this week while they were in Omaha, as the group was able to live video chat with Lehigh swim camp participants back in Bethlehem.
"Every race that goes off of the blocks is another learning opportunity for us," Moyar said. "Watching the different stroke techniques and race strategies has given us plenty of ideas on what to work on next season. Hopefully we can effectively bring what we've learned back to the team and help others improve as well. I'm very excited to see what new milestones the team will reach next year with this meet under our belt and our incoming first-years being added to the roster."
"Watching some of the top swimmers compete really inspired me to use the rest of the summer to my advantage and train as hard as I can," Ruffing said. "I hope all four of us can use this experience as a spark to help ignite the drive in our team so that we can really hit the ground running in the fall."
"It has been such an honor and a dream come true to represent Lehigh at the highest level of USA swimming," White said. "Building such a great base back in Bethlehem has really made this whole experience incredible. I will use this experience to bring energy to our team this season at Lehigh. Hopefully this week will show the classes below me the opportunities available to them when you put in the work."
Â
RELATED:
Part IV: Four Lehigh Swimmers Ready to Compete at Olympic Trials
Part III:Â Moyar Qualifies for Olympic Trials at Memorial Day Meet
Part II:Â Moyar Locked In for Memorial Day Olympic Trial Qualifying Meet
Part I:Â Three Mountain Hawks Preparing for Olympic Trials
Â
Players Mentioned
Free/Fly/IM
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
Free
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Free
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
Free
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