Marist Junior Manuel Garcia Qualifies For 2016 Mexico Olympic Trials
MAAC Sports
ANNAPOLIS, Maryland - Junior
Manuel Garcia finished the 100-meter butterfly in 56.13 seconds at the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Long Course Invitational on Feb. 25 to qualify for the Mexico Olympic swimming trials. With his result, Garcia will now be invited to compete for a spot on the 2016 Mexican Olympic Swim Team.
Garcia placed sixth in the event, which was held in a 50-meter pool double the length of the short course pools the Red Foxes have competed in for the entire 2015-16 season. Only a chosen few will make the cut at the Olympic trials to represent Mexico at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Madeira became just the second active Marist swimmer in the program’s history to earn an invitation to compete for a spot on a national team just prior to the Olympics. In the 2012 ECAC Long Course Invitational, then-freshman Greta Leberfinger completed the 100-meter breaststroke in 1:11.88 to qualify for a U.S. Olympic trial for the London Games.
Sophomore Robert McDowell was one of four other Red Foxes to compete at this year's ECAC meet, clocking in at 59.66 seconds in the 100-meter backstroke for sixth place. Junior Mason Cassel swam a time trial in the 100-meter butterfly finishing in a time of 56.64 seconds.
Marist was also represented by a pair of freshman, as Miguel Madeira finished in sixth place in the 100-meter freestyle with time of 53.16 seconds while Daniel Knoll completed the 50-meter freestyle in 24.47 seconds to earn eighth place. All of the Red Foxes clocked in at personal best times at the invitational.
The Red Foxes will continue their postseason at the ECAC Championships from Feb. 26-28 and look to improve on fifth place finishes overall from the men and women in 2015. The first session begins at 10 a.m. Feb. 26.