SAN DIEGO – The U.S. Olympic Swimming Team Trials are underway this week, and San Diego State's Meredith Smithbaker is set to compete in the preliminaries of the 50-meter freestyle on Saturday, June 22 in Indianapolis, Indiana, vying for a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 50-meter freestyle is slated for 10 preliminary heats and is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT at Lucas Oil Stadium. The finals of the event are pegged for an 8 p.m. ET start (5 p.m. PT) on Sunday, June 23.
Lucas Oil Stadium marks the first-ever staging of the U.S. Olympic Swimming Team Trials on a football field.
Fans can catch the action on NBC platforms, with qualifying heats streaming live on Peacock and finals competition airing on both NBC and Peacock. In addition, coverage includes streams on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app.
Smithbaker qualified for the U.S. Olympic trials after posting a time of 25.68 in the 50-meter freestyle last summer at the TYR Pro Championships in Irvine, California on July 27, 2023.
A rising senior at SDSU, Smithbaker garnered seven all-conference accolades following the 2023-24 season after helping the Aztecs capture their third consecutive Mountain West championship and fifth in the last six years.
Smithbaker took home two individual gold medals at the league meet last February, winning the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle, while contributing to SDSU's four victorious relay teams (200 freestyle, 400 freestyle relay, 200 medley, 400 medley) (All distances in yards).
At the MW Championships, Smithbaker posted a career-fast swim of 48.54 in the 100 free, which ranks second on the Aztecs' all-time charts and is slotted fourth in MW history. The Fort Collins, Colorado, native also matched her personal best in the 50 free with a time of 22.24, which is good for third on SDSU's performance standards and fifth on the conference's top-10 list.
In addition, Smithbaker contributed to the Aztecs' second-fastest relay teams in school history at this year's league meet, leading off the 400 freestyle relay (3:16.62) while anchoring the 400 medley relay (3:33.65), both of which rank third all-time in the MW.
Earlier in the season, Smithbaker earned Mountain West Swimmer of the Week honors after leading the Scarlet and Black with three top-seven placements against a stacked field at Texas A&M's Art Adamson Invitational (Nov. 15-17), highlighted by a victory in the 50 freestyle (22.24).
The Paris Olympics are scheduled for July 26-Aug. 11, 2024, with swimming competition to be contested at Paris La Défense Arena.
Smithbaker to Compete at U.S. Olympic Swim Trials
