Harrison, Isleta Set for U.S. Winter Nationals
December 02, 2015 | Women's Swimming
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Following one of the top overall meets put together this season by the Oregon State swimming team two weekends ago in Houston, Texas, the Beavers' Sammy Harrison and Czsarina Isleta will travel to the U.S. Winter Nationals this weekend for their final competition until January.
The prestigious three-day meet is set to run all day from Thursday through Saturday. The U.S Winter Nationals are set to be held from the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Wash.
In order to earn a berth to the U.S. Olympic Trials, swimmers must meet a qualifying standard in a long course pool. Both of Harrison and Isleta will compete in the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center's 50-meter long course pool.
“Sammy and Czsarina are both competing this weekend to try to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials, which are in June of this coming year,” Oregon State head coach Larry Liebowitz said. “Sammy has had three great years in a row and she's well ahead of where she was at this time last year. At our last meet at the University of Houston, we were faster in almost every case than we were at the Pac-12 Championships last year, so that bodes well for the rest of the season.”
Heading into this weekend's meet, Harrison has already earned NCAA B qualifying status in the each of the 500-yard freestyle and the 1,650-yard freestyle following her season-best times in Houston. The Henderson, Nev. native clocked a time of 4:46.08 in the 500 free, the third-fastest time in OSU history, as well as a time of 16:21.00 in her first 1,650 free of the year, the second-fastest time in program history.
Isleta enters this weekend after posting the No. 6 time in school history in two events in the Beavers' most recent meet. The junior from San Jose, Calif. hoisted herself to those respective positions in the OSU all-time record books with a time of 1:03.02 in the 100-yard breaststroke and a time of 2:16.29 in the 200-yard breaststroke.
“They both have swam the long course before, so they know what it's all about,” Liebowitz said. “This has been a great group to coach and work with, and I'm really looking forward to watching our swimmers this weekend. The expectation is to try to get faster with every meet and to have your best race at the end of the season.”
Following this weekend's U.S. Winter Nationals, the Oregon State swimming team will have over a month off before hosting Utah in a dual meet at the Osborn Aquatic Center at 5 p.m. PT on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016.
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