Francis, Gardner to Compete at U.S. Olympic Team Trials
6/14/2024 10:06:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Liberty redshirt sophomore Malia Francis and graduated senior Heather Gardner will both compete at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Swimming presented by Lilly, June 15-23 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.
Gardner, a native of Mount Pleasant, Pa., will be competing in the 100-meter breaststroke on Sunday. Meanwhile, Francis, who hails from Rhinelander, Wis., will compete in the 200-meter backstroke on Thursday.
Francis and Gardner will be the third and fourth student-athletes in program history to compete in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Swimming while enrolled at Liberty. Brye Ravettine competed at the 2012 Olympic Trials in the 50-meter freestyle, finishing in 72nd place. Alicia Finnigan finished 44th in the 200-meter butterfly at the 2016 Olympic Trials.
Last month, Liberty freshman Kamryn Cannings competed in the 2024 Canadian Olympic Swimming Trials in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She qualified for the A Final in the 100-meter butterfly, tying for seventh overall.
How to Follow the Action
Fans can follow the meet through live results and live video streaming. Links to both are available on the swimming schedule page on LibertyFlames.com. Morning prelims will air live on Peacock, with a streaming package necessary, NBC will provide live TV coverage of the evening session each day starting at 8 p.m. Eastern. Select preliminary heats will be aired on a taped-delay basis at 6:30 p.m. Eastern on USA Network.
What's at Stake
These two Lady Flames will be vying for one of 26 total spots on the U.S. women's swimming team for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
The U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Swimming return to Indianapolis for the first time since 2000. Lucas Oil Stadium will be the largest venue to date to host the trials.
Preliminary heats for each event will be held beginning at 11 a.m. Eastern each day. The top 16 times from preliminaries in each event advance to that evening's semifinal round. The fastest eight finishers in semifinals qualify for the final. In order to make the U.S. Olympic team in an individual event, an athlete needs to finish in either first or second place in the final.
Sunday, June 16
100-Meter Breaststroke Preview
Gardner will contest the 100-meter breaststroke on Sunday. If she records one of the 16 fastest times in morning prelims, she would qualify for Sunday's evening semifinals. The final for the 100 breaststroke will take place on Monday evening. In order to earn a spot at the Olympics in the 100-meter breaststroke, Gardner would need to finish in the top two in the final and meet the Olympic standard of 1:06.79.
The Liberty senior swam a lifetime-best 1:09.85 at the 2023 TYR '85 Invite during a long-course session to punch her ticket to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. That met the qualifying standard of 1:10.29.
Gardner capped a standout collegiate career during the 2023-24 season, helping the Lady Flames earn their sixth straight conference title. She earned A Finals appearances in the 50 free, 100 breaststroke and 200 breaststroke at the 2024 ASUN Swimming & Diving Championships. Her breakout season came as a junior when she earned third-place finishes in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke at the 2023 CCSA Championships. Gardner ranks second in program history in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:01.03) and fourth in the 200 breaststroke (2:12.94).
Gardner's entry time of 1:09.85 ranks 50th out of 81 entrants in this event in the pre-scratch psych sheet. In the most recent U.S. Olympic Team Trials, it took 1:09.00 to qualify for the semifinals and 1:07.28 to make the final.
This event has two heavy favorites entered, as each of the last two Olympic Gold medalists (Lilly King – 2016; Lydia Jacoby – 2020) have the top two seeds, both more than one second clear of the third seed. King, the World record holder for 100 breaststroke (1:04.13) is seeded first at 1:04.75. She claimed Bronze at the 2020 Olympics, a race won by Jacoby, who is seeded second this week in 1:05.16. Kaitlyn Dobler, who finished fifth in 100 breaststroke qualifying three years ago, is the third seed (1:05.48). Current Virginia sophomore Emma Weber holds the fourth seed (1:06.50), while former Virginia Cavalier All-American Kate Douglass (1:06.67) is the fifth seed.
Thursday, June 20
200-Meter Backstroke
Francis competes in the 200-meter backstroke on Thursday morning. She needs to record one of the top 16 times in morning prelims in order to make it to Thursday's evening semifinals. The 200 backstroke final will be held on Friday night. The path to the Olympics in the 200 backstroke requires a first- or second-place finish while also meeting the Olympic standard of 2:10.39.
The Liberty redshirt sophomore earned her spot at the Olympic Trials on June 2 at the Virginia Commonwealth Games, held at Liberty Natatorium. Her lifetime-best 2:13.19 met the Olympic Trials standard of 2:13.59.
Francis had an outstanding first season as a Lady Flame after redshirting during the 2022-23 campaign. She earned a pair of A Finals appearances at the 2024 ASUN Swimming & Diving Championships, placing fourth in the 100 backstroke (54.80) and earning a runner-up finish in the 200 backstroke (1:56.50). Francis ranks fifth on the program's all-time top 10 list in the 200-yard backstroke and ninth in the 100 backstroke.
Francis' 2:13.19 entry time ranks 46th out of 63 athletes on the pre-scratch psych sheet. Three years ago, it took 2:12.11 to make the semifinals and 2:09.76 to qualify for the final.
American record holder Regan Smith holds the top seed, at 2:03.80. Smith earned 2020 Tokyo Olympic medals in the 200 butterfly (Silver), 400 medley relay (Silver) and 100 backstroke (Bronze), but missed out on the 200 backstroke as she finished third at Olympic Trials. Rhyan White, who finished fourth at the 2020 Olympics in 200 backstroke, is the tied with Claire Curzan (2:05.77) for second seed. Phoebe Bacon, who qualified second for the 200 back at the last Olympic Trials, is the fifth seed at 2:06.59. Isabelle Stadden carries the sixth seed (2:07.69) after finishing fourth in the final three years ago.
Gardner, a native of Mount Pleasant, Pa., will be competing in the 100-meter breaststroke on Sunday. Meanwhile, Francis, who hails from Rhinelander, Wis., will compete in the 200-meter backstroke on Thursday.
Francis and Gardner will be the third and fourth student-athletes in program history to compete in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Swimming while enrolled at Liberty. Brye Ravettine competed at the 2012 Olympic Trials in the 50-meter freestyle, finishing in 72nd place. Alicia Finnigan finished 44th in the 200-meter butterfly at the 2016 Olympic Trials.
Last month, Liberty freshman Kamryn Cannings competed in the 2024 Canadian Olympic Swimming Trials in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She qualified for the A Final in the 100-meter butterfly, tying for seventh overall.
How to Follow the Action
Fans can follow the meet through live results and live video streaming. Links to both are available on the swimming schedule page on LibertyFlames.com. Morning prelims will air live on Peacock, with a streaming package necessary, NBC will provide live TV coverage of the evening session each day starting at 8 p.m. Eastern. Select preliminary heats will be aired on a taped-delay basis at 6:30 p.m. Eastern on USA Network.
What's at Stake
These two Lady Flames will be vying for one of 26 total spots on the U.S. women's swimming team for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
The U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Swimming return to Indianapolis for the first time since 2000. Lucas Oil Stadium will be the largest venue to date to host the trials.
Preliminary heats for each event will be held beginning at 11 a.m. Eastern each day. The top 16 times from preliminaries in each event advance to that evening's semifinal round. The fastest eight finishers in semifinals qualify for the final. In order to make the U.S. Olympic team in an individual event, an athlete needs to finish in either first or second place in the final.
Sunday, June 16
100-Meter Breaststroke Preview
Gardner will contest the 100-meter breaststroke on Sunday. If she records one of the 16 fastest times in morning prelims, she would qualify for Sunday's evening semifinals. The final for the 100 breaststroke will take place on Monday evening. In order to earn a spot at the Olympics in the 100-meter breaststroke, Gardner would need to finish in the top two in the final and meet the Olympic standard of 1:06.79.
The Liberty senior swam a lifetime-best 1:09.85 at the 2023 TYR '85 Invite during a long-course session to punch her ticket to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. That met the qualifying standard of 1:10.29.
Gardner capped a standout collegiate career during the 2023-24 season, helping the Lady Flames earn their sixth straight conference title. She earned A Finals appearances in the 50 free, 100 breaststroke and 200 breaststroke at the 2024 ASUN Swimming & Diving Championships. Her breakout season came as a junior when she earned third-place finishes in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke at the 2023 CCSA Championships. Gardner ranks second in program history in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:01.03) and fourth in the 200 breaststroke (2:12.94).
Gardner's entry time of 1:09.85 ranks 50th out of 81 entrants in this event in the pre-scratch psych sheet. In the most recent U.S. Olympic Team Trials, it took 1:09.00 to qualify for the semifinals and 1:07.28 to make the final.
This event has two heavy favorites entered, as each of the last two Olympic Gold medalists (Lilly King – 2016; Lydia Jacoby – 2020) have the top two seeds, both more than one second clear of the third seed. King, the World record holder for 100 breaststroke (1:04.13) is seeded first at 1:04.75. She claimed Bronze at the 2020 Olympics, a race won by Jacoby, who is seeded second this week in 1:05.16. Kaitlyn Dobler, who finished fifth in 100 breaststroke qualifying three years ago, is the third seed (1:05.48). Current Virginia sophomore Emma Weber holds the fourth seed (1:06.50), while former Virginia Cavalier All-American Kate Douglass (1:06.67) is the fifth seed.
Thursday, June 20
200-Meter Backstroke
Francis competes in the 200-meter backstroke on Thursday morning. She needs to record one of the top 16 times in morning prelims in order to make it to Thursday's evening semifinals. The 200 backstroke final will be held on Friday night. The path to the Olympics in the 200 backstroke requires a first- or second-place finish while also meeting the Olympic standard of 2:10.39.
The Liberty redshirt sophomore earned her spot at the Olympic Trials on June 2 at the Virginia Commonwealth Games, held at Liberty Natatorium. Her lifetime-best 2:13.19 met the Olympic Trials standard of 2:13.59.
Francis had an outstanding first season as a Lady Flame after redshirting during the 2022-23 campaign. She earned a pair of A Finals appearances at the 2024 ASUN Swimming & Diving Championships, placing fourth in the 100 backstroke (54.80) and earning a runner-up finish in the 200 backstroke (1:56.50). Francis ranks fifth on the program's all-time top 10 list in the 200-yard backstroke and ninth in the 100 backstroke.
Francis' 2:13.19 entry time ranks 46th out of 63 athletes on the pre-scratch psych sheet. Three years ago, it took 2:12.11 to make the semifinals and 2:09.76 to qualify for the final.
American record holder Regan Smith holds the top seed, at 2:03.80. Smith earned 2020 Tokyo Olympic medals in the 200 butterfly (Silver), 400 medley relay (Silver) and 100 backstroke (Bronze), but missed out on the 200 backstroke as she finished third at Olympic Trials. Rhyan White, who finished fourth at the 2020 Olympics in 200 backstroke, is the tied with Claire Curzan (2:05.77) for second seed. Phoebe Bacon, who qualified second for the 200 back at the last Olympic Trials, is the fifth seed at 2:06.59. Isabelle Stadden carries the sixth seed (2:07.69) after finishing fourth in the final three years ago.
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