Three From Concord Among 7 Aquabears at Olympic Swim Trials

Seven swimmers who first stuck their toes in the pool with the Walnut Creek Aquabears are competing at the U.S. Olympic Trials going on now in Omaha, Neb.

Their dream: to represent the United States at the Summer Olympics in London next month.

According to an email circulating from Aquabears Assistant Coach Todd Krohn, the aspiring Aquabear Olympians from Walnut Creek and Concord are:

• Kasey Carlson
• Sara Delay
• Katy Freeman
• Tim Freeman
• Greg Harper
• Shelley Harper
• Jackson Miller

That means anxious Walnut Creek, Concord families and Aquabear teammates are watching the website of USA Swimming as the results pour in from Omaha. Webcasts of heats are available here.

"I will be watching the swim trials on TV," said Joy Reid, a veteran Aquabear swim mom. "It is exciting to watch the swimmers as they pursue their Olympic goals. These swimmers do have incredible dedication to their sport."

*** editor's note: for the story of twelve Concord Terrapins also at the Olympic Swim Trials in Omaha.

The best hopes lie with Aquabear veterans:

• Kasey Carlson — She is a 20-year-old junior at the University of Southern California, who is seeded 17th out of 153 swimmers in the 100-meter breaststroke. Carlson graduated from Las Lomas in 2010. She finished fourth in the 2011 NCAA championships in the 100-yard breaststroke. In a 2010 Patch interview, Carlson said, "I just want to keep improving. We don't have those super suits anymore, so just improving my times is the goal. If I keep improving, but don't make the Olympics, I'll be content."
• Katy Freeman, a 25-year-old graduate student at U.C. Santa Barbara who is seeded fifth in the 200-meter breaststroke. Freeman finished fifth in the 2011 national championships in the 200-meter breast.

Also notable is the rising star Jackson Miller, still a student at Las Lomas High, an Olympic contender in two freestyle events and a quarterback on the Knights' football team.

The swimmers and their seedings are in the following text from Coach Krohn's email:

Kasey Carlson
Junior at University of Southern California
graduate of Las Lomas High School
hometown:  Walnut Creek, CA
100m Breaststroke (seeded 17th of 153) - Tuesday, 6/26
100m Freestyle (seeded 73rd of 136) - Friday, 6/29
200m Breaststroke (seeded 25th of 133) - Friday, 6/29
50m Freestyle (seeded 39th of 164) - Saturday, 7/1

Sara Delay
Sophomore at Indiana University
graduate of Northgate High School
hometown:  Concord, CA
50 Freestyle (seeded 109th of 164) - Sunday, 7/1

Katy Freeman
Graduate Student at UC Santa Barbara
graduate of Carondelet High School
hometown:  Concord, CA
100m Breaststroke (seeded 16th of 153) - Tuesday, 6/26
200m Breaststroke (seeded 5th of 133) - Friday, 6/29

Tim Freeman
Senior at UC Santa Barbara
graduate of De La Salle High School
hometown:  Concord, CA
100m Breaststroke (seeded 54th of 144) - Monday, 6/25
200m Breaststroke (seeded 52nd of 134) - Thursday, 6/28

Greg Harper
Junior at UC Berkeley
graduate of Las Lomas High School
hometown:  Walnut Creek, CA
200m Butterfly (seeded 93rd of 145) - Wednesday, 6/27

Shelley Harper
Recent graduate of UC Berkeley
graduate of Las Lomas High School
hometown:  Walnut Creek, CA
400m Individual Medley (seeded 40th of 135) - Monday, 6/25
400m Freestyle (seeded 55th of 117) - Tuesday, 6/26
200m Individual Medley (seeded 56th of 129) - Wednesday, 6/27
200m Butterfly (seeded 76th of 144) - Thursday, 6/28

Jackson Miller
Junior at Las Lomas High School
hometown:  Walnut Creek, CA
400m Freestyle (seeded 106th of 123) - Monday, 6/25
200m Freestyle (seeded 45th of 136) - Tuesday, 6/26

Do you know any of the above athletes? Leave a shout out or share stories via the comments, below. 

Like Concord Patch on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Get Free Concord Patch Newsletters | Blog on Patch!