Five Virginia Beach swimmers recently qualified for the 2024 U.S. Olympic trials, thanks in large part to their performances at last weekend’s national championships in Indianapolis.
Rising Virginia sophomore Sophia Knapp, part of the record-setting NCAA champion Cavaliers, earned her first trials berths by qualifying in the 800- and 1,500-meter freestyles. She was 24th in the 800 in 8:44.07 and 20th in the 1,500 at 16:37.83.
Knapp also was 50th in the 200 at 2:03.20 and 39th in the 400 at 4:17.98.
University of Georgia graduate Callie Dickinson qualified in the 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly and 200 individual medley. She finished 24th in the 100 fly (59.58) and 200 fly (2:14.31) and 26th in the 200 IM (2:16.28). In the 50 fly, she was 41st in 27.68.
Dickinson was the 2022-23 Southeastern Conference H. Boyd McWhorter Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year, earning a $20,000 postgraduate scholarship.
Kayla Wilson, a rising sophomore at Stanford, qualified in the 100 and 200 freestyles. She was 28th with times of 55.16 in the prelims and 54.93 in a swim-off in the 100, but was 13th in the 200 at 1:58.88.
In the 400 free, Wilson was 30th in 4:16.03.
Her Cardinal teammate, rising junior Samantha Tadder, made it in the 400 individual medley, placing 14th in 4:48.98.
On the men’s side, Notre Dame graduate Cason Wilburn qualified in the 100 fly by placing 21st at 53.58. In the 50 fly, he finished 11th in 23.89.
Wilburn gained a Jim & Pat Thacker Scholarship, awarded to those who have performed with distinction in the classroom and their sport, while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community.
Wilburn is an alum of First Colonial, where his mother, Cassondre, coaches the four-time state champion girls swimming team. Knapp and Tadder also are First Colonial graduates, while Dickinson and Wilson went to Norfolk Academy.
All four of those women competed for the Tide Swimming club in addition to their high school success, and all except Knapp also earned berths at the 2020 U.S. team trials.
The 2024 U.S. Olympic trials will be held June 15-23 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
