The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials
Smith, Feigen named to U.S. Olympic Swimming Team
07.03.2016 | Men's Swimming and Diving
UT rising senior Clark Smith joins his mother as a U.S. Olympian while Texas-Ex Jimmy Feigen earns his second trip to the Olympics.
OMAHA, Neb. – USA Swimming announced the additions of Texas rising senior swimmer Clark Smith and former Longhorn Jimmy Feigen to the 2016 U.S. Olympic Swimming Team upon completion of the week-long Olympic Trials competition Sunday night at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
The pair joins UT rising senior Jack Conger and Texas rising sophomore Townley Haas as members of the 26-member men's squad that will represent the United States in the Olympic swimming competition set for Aug. 6-13 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Smith and Feigen became 2016 U.S. Olympians on Sunday given that the U.S. roster had not reached its cap of 26 swimmers after team selection procedures were applied to fill out the roster.
Per selection procedures, swimmers who finish in the top-four of the 100m and 200m freestyle events, along with the first-place finishers in all other events are named to the team first if they have achieved a FINA Olympic qualifying standard.
Second-place finishers in each of the other events are added to the team in a priority order based on an integrated world ranking from 2015 and 2016 until the cap of 26 is reached.
If after adding the second-place finishers from each of the other events and there is still room on the team, the fifth-place finishers from the 100m and 200m free are added to the team. This allowed for Feigen's invitation to the team, given his fifth-place finish in the 100m freestyle final at Trials.
If after adding the fifth-place finishers from the 100m and 200m free and there is still room on the team, the sixth-place finishers from the 100m and 200m free are added. As such, Smith received his invite after placing sixth in the 200m freestyle final.
"It feels like a stepping stone," Smith said. "It feels like it's the beginning of my career. It's hard to explain the feeling. I'm definitely proud and excited to be able to go to the Olympics, and I feel fortunate that they took relay alternates this year."
The son of former Longhorn and 1984 U.S. Olympic swimmer Tori (Trees) Smith and former Texas All-America swimmer John Smith, Clark Smith joins Conger and Haas for consideration on the USA's 4x200m freestyle relay in Rio.
"It is really special to be able to share a lot of the experiences that my parents had in the sport, with my Dad swimming for Eddie (Reese) and my mom making the U.S. Olympic team," Smith said. "I don't' think that many people get to experience that kind of connection with their family."
Conger earned an automatic berth to the U.S. team with his third-place finish in the 200m freestyle final at Trials on June 28. Haas won the same event and will compete in the aforementioned relay and the 200m freestyle in Rio.
All totaled, Texas will send four members of its 2016 NCAA champion team to the Rio Olympics. UT rising junior Joseph Schooling, a bronze medalist in the 100m butterfly for Singapore at the 2015 FINA World Championships, will represent his homeland at a second Olympic Games next month in Rio.
As was the case at the 2012 London Olympics, Feigen earns a place on the U.S. Olympic Team as a member of the 4x100m freestyle relay pool. The San Antonio native won silver at the 2012 London Olympics by competing in the preliminary round of the 4x100m freestyle relay for the United States.
Former Longhorn Michael McBroom competed in Sunday's finals in the 1500m freestyle and fell one spot shy of qualifying for Rio, as he placed third behind Connor Jaeger and Jordan Wilimovsky in 15:06.60.
Texas Men's Swimming qualifiers for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics
Jack Conger (USA), 4x200m freestyle relay
Jimmy Feigen (USA), 4x100m freestyle relay
Townley Haas (USA), 200m freestyle, 4x200m freestyle relay
Joseph Schooling (Singapore), 100 & 200m butterfly
Clark Smith (USA), 4x200m freestyle relay
Players Mentioned
