Abby Jagdfeld took a leap of faith last summer, and it paid off big time almost a year later.
One year ago, the redshirt sophomore was training at home in Waukesha, Wis. with the Waukesha Express, unsure of whether she would return to Purdue for her sophomore year. Instead of going back to West Lafayette, Jagdfeld opted to transfer closer to home and swim for the Badgers.
Saturday, after a year of training with the Badgers while redshirting in NCAA competition, Jagdfeld lined up for the A-final of the 400-meter freestyle. She was alongside U.S. National Team swimmer Leah Smith and Canadian Olympian Brittany MacLean. She placed eighth with a time of 4:19.92 in a loaded field that competed in a combined four Olympics and five World Championships.
Jagdfeld’s other races that weekend, the 200-meter freestyle and the 100-meter freestyle, were nothing to sneeze at either, as she won the consolation final in both races and placed within the top ten times of the meet.
There were several other current and former Badger swimmers at the meet, most of whom are vying for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team. The two exceptions to that were Matt Hutchins, who has already secured a spot on the Olympic roster with his native New Zealand, and Jess Unicomb, who narrowly missed a chance to represent Australia. Both Hutchins and Unicomb proved they were among the best of the best in the events they competed in. Unicomb took seventh place overall in the 200-meter backstroke with a time of 2:16.22. Hutchins placed third in the 400-meter freestyle, an event he will swim in Rio, and fourth in the 1500-meter freestyle. In both of Hutchins’ races, the first-time Olympian was beaten out by men with a host of international experience.
Out of the American swimmers, 2013 Wisconsin graduate Michael Weiss stood out in multiple events. Taking fourth overall in the 200-meter individual medley, his time of 2:02.80 during a heavy-training part of the season is a promising predictor of what he will be able to do in Omaha at the U.S. Olympic Trials in three weeks.
Weiss also placed fourth in the 400-meter individual medley, which again showed what he will be able to do in Omaha when better rested. In the 200-meter freestyle, which took place the same night as the 400 IM, Weiss took fifth against a dominant field that included likely multiple-event qualifier Jay Litherland.
2015 UW graduate Ivy Martin also proved that she was right there in contention for the sprint events, taking third overall in the 100-meter butterfly with a blazing :59.71, fourth overall in the 50-meter freestyle with a :25.37 and fifth overall in the 100-meter freestyle with a :55.89.
Versatile senior Brett Pinfold also looked strong throughout the meet. He competed in three events’ prelims Sunday and qualified for a second race in all three, proving that he has no weak event.
Pinfold opted to only swim in one race for finals, the 100-meter freestyle consolation against a field that included fellow senior Cannon Clifton. Led by Clifton, the Houston natives went 1-2, with times of :50.21 and :50.56, respectively.
Pinfold also ended up in the lane next to 2013 NCAA champion and recent graduate Drew TeDuits in the consolation finals of the 100-meter backstroke. In that race, Pinfold and TeDuits went 2-3, both beating out one of the swimmers in the A-final.
Other Wisconsin swimmers who did well in Indianapolis were senior Chase Kinney, who placed seventh overall in the 50-meter freestyle, and senior Dana Grindall, who placed eighth overall in the 100-meter butterfly and won the 200-meter butterfly consolation final.
The next action for many current and former Wisconsin swimmers will be the U.S. Olympic Trials, which take place from Jun. 26 - Jul. 3 at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Neb.
