Four Gators medaled on Day 4 of Phillips 66 National Championships

Four members of the Florida swimming team earned medals on the fourth day of the Phillips 66 National Championships on Friday.

Four members of the Florida swimming team earned medals on the fourth day of the Phillips 66 National Championships held in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Friday. Men’s swimmers [autotag]Kieran Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Jake Mitchell[/autotag] as well as women’s team members [autotag]Katie Ledecky[/autotag] and [autotag]Bella Sims[/autotag], all reached the podium on the penultimate day of competition as the quartet dominated in the 400-meter freestyle event.

Smith and Mitchell secured second and third-place finishes with times of 3:46.11 and 3:46.87, respectively, in the A-finals. Ledecky and Sims one-upped their male counterparts, finishing first and second with times of 4:00.45 and 4:03.25, respectively in the A-finals.

The women’s pair have already earned a bid in the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Japan while their male counterparts earned a trip to Land of the Rising Sun with their performances on Thursday.

Adam Chaney placed fifth in the 100-meter backstroke, shaving off more than half a second from his prelim time for a finals swim of 53.34, while assistant Coach Annie Lazor posted a sixth-place finish in the 100-meter breaststroke on Friday night in the A-finals, touching the wall in 1:07.77.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1380]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Why swimmer Jake Mitchell raced by himself at trials for a shot at the Olympic team

In a rare moment, University of Michigan swimmer Jake Mitchell raced alone to try to make the Olympic team.

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Team USA’s Olympic Trials for swimming are happening this week, and you may have noticed one moment with a swimmer racing alone. If that doesn’t make much sense and you’re curious about why, we’re here to help.

Jake Mitchell’s spot on Team USA’s swim team for the Tokyo Olympics this summer isn’t official yet, but he did everything he could and increased his chances of qualifying at Olympic Trials on Tuesday in Omaha.

And that included the University of Michigan sophomore swimming the 400-meter freestyle by himself, making it very likely that he’ll compete this summer in Tokyo. Let’s break it down…