Iowa swimming junior-to-be Emily Hovren raced in her Olympic trials debut on Wednesday when she took 65th in the women’s 200-meter individual medley. Hovren finished with a time of 2:19.82 in the event, 7.44 seconds behind the winner, Caitlin Leverenz (2:12.38).
No current or just-graduated Hawkeyes have advanced past the preliminary heats of the trials, but ex-Hawkeye Conor Dwyer raced in his second final on Wednesday. Dwyer swam with an Iowa cap from 2007-2009 before transfering to Florida following his sophomore year.
Dwyer already secured a second-place finish in the men’s 400-meter freestyle on Monday to earn a spot on the Olympic team, but the former Hawkeyes didn’t qualify in the men’s 200-meter freestyle on Wednesday.
Dwyer finished fourth in the event with a time of 1:46.64. The ex-Iowa swimmer was edged out by 16-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps (1:45.70), six-time medalist Ryan Lochte (1:45.75) and one-time gold medalist Ricky Berens (1:46.56).
The trials will continue tomorrow, when three Hawkeyes will take to the pool: graduated senior Paul Gordon and senior-to-be Jordan Huff will race in the men’s 100-meter freestyle and junior-to-be Andrew Marciniak will compete in the men’s 200-meter breaststroke.
— by Molly Irene Olmstead
