Three Hope to Head for Olympic Waters

Loudoun Swimmers Will Try to Land Spots on U.S. Team at Trials in Omaha

By Paul Tenorio

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

With the Olympics in Beijing less than two months away, three Loudoun County swimmers will be in Omaha this weekend at the USA Swimming Olympic Team Trials with hopes of qualifying for the summer games.

Matt McLean (Potomac Falls High School/University of Virginia), Suzanne Schwee (Stone Bridge/Alabama) and Megan Newell (Stone Bridge/Virginia Tech) each qualified for the trials, which run from Sunday to July 6 at the Qwest Center in Omaha.

McLean, the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference rookie of the year and swimmer of the year, qualified in three events: the 100-, 200- and 400-meter freestyle. Schwee qualified in the 100-meter backstroke, Newell in the 100-meter butterfly.

To make the Olympic team, swimmers must finish in the top two in their event at the trials. McLean holds the highest seed of the three, ranked 17th in the 400-meter freestyle with a time of 3:54.47. He faces an uphill battle, however, as 2004 gold medalist Peter Vanderkaay sits in the top spot with a time of 3:43.82.

McLean is seeded 26th in the 200 free and 92nd in the 100 free. Six-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps holds the top seed in both events.

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Loudoun Swimmers to Compete in Olympic Trials

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Stone Bridge's Suzan Schwee wins the 100 yard butterfly at the Northern Region Swim Meet on Feb. 2, 2008. Schwee is competing this weekend in the USA Swimming Olympic Team Trials in Omaha. (Joel Richardson)

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Matt McLean, a former Potomac Falls swimmer, is competing in this weekend's USA Swimming Olympic Team Trials in Omaha. Here, he practices with his club team in December 2005. McLean is one of three swimmers from Loudoun hoping to make it onto this summer's USA Olympic Swimming Team. (Toni L. Sandys)

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During the Virginia AA swimming championships at Radford, University in February 2006, Potomac Falls' Matt McLean swims in the 200-yard freestyle. McLean is competing in this weekend's USA Swimming Olympic Team Trials in Omaha. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Megan Newell duirng a Stone Bridge swim team workout at Ida Lee Recreation center in December 2004. Newell is currently attending Virginia Tech and is in Omaha this weekend as one of three Loudoun swimmers competing in the USA Swimming Olympic Team Trials. (Rich Lipski)

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Swimmer Megan Newell during butterfly practice in 2004 when she swam for Stone Bridge. Newell is one of three Olympic-hopefuls from Loudoun in Omaha this weekend competing in the USA Swimming Olympic Team Trials. (Rich Lipski)

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Despite the difficult road to the Olympic team, Virginia coach Mark Bernardino said he thinks that McLean's experience at the NCAA championships helped prepare him for the meet and that McLean will compete at a high level at the trials.

"It's important that we keep the expectations realistic. And when I say realistic, I don't see any reason why Matt can't be a top-10 swimmer in the 400 free and advance to the semifinals in the 200 free," Bernardino said. "And I think that would be an unbelievable accomplishment if he could do that... The objective is to be better and faster than he's ever been before with the understanding there is another Olympic trials in four years."

Schwee, who was training in Florida and could not be reached for comment, is seeded 96th in the 100 back. Newell was seeded 50th in the 100 fly and expressed excitement at the opportunity to compete in such an important meet.

"I was really shocked when [qualification] happened, and now I'm so excited I get to go," Newell said. "I actually just found out this weekend that I was seeded 50th, so that was kind of a shock... I think I'll gain a lot of experience, especially just staying mentally ready."

Newell also expressed excitement at having two others from Loudoun at the trials with her.

"Suzanne is pretty much my little sister, we are so close, and her mom is like a second mom to me," Newell said. "I was at the meet when she made the Olympic trials, and her mom got to see me make my trial cut again. It'll be cool to have my 'little sister' there cheering for me. McLean, even though he goes to U-Va. and I have to hate him a little bit, I'm excited to see him 'cause I think he'll place really high."

McLean, who went through what he called an "extremely grueling" training schedule in Charlottesville, said he isn't looking at the meet as just an opportunity to gain experience.

"When I go, I go to compete," McLean said. "It's been said that the Olympic trials this year is going to be the fastest meet in the world, and that wouldn't surprise me. So I'm just going to take advantage of that and try to elevate my performance."

Tagged: Olympics, sports, swimming

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