INDIANAPOLIS – San Diego State's Meredith Smithbaker competed at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials on Saturday, setting a personal best in the preliminaries of the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 25.65 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
With her performance, Smithbaker finished second and her heat and tied for 43rd in the preliminaries overall after entering the weekend with a No. 79 seed in the event.
In addition, the Aztec rising senior shaved .03 seconds off her previous standard of 25.68 in the same event, registered last summer at the TYR Pro Championships in Irvine, California on July 27, 2023.
Swimming in the final heat of the 50-meter free on Saturday, Torri Huske of the Arlington (Va.) Athletic Club touched the wall at 24.47, edging Catie DeLoof of the New York Athletic Club (24.53), as the top 16 competitors advance to the finals of the event on Sunday, June 23.
A native of Fort Collins, Colorado, Smithbaker earned seven all-conference honors following the 2023-24 season after helping SDSU claim its third straight Mountain West championship and fifth in the last six years.
Smithbaker captured two individual gold medals at the league meet last February, winning the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle, while contributing to SDSU's four triumphant relay teams (200 freestyle, 400 freestyle, 200 medley, 400 medley) (All distances in yards).
At the MW Championships, Smithbaker logged a career-fast swim of 48.54 in the 100 free, which is slotted second in Aztec program history and ranks fourth on the MW's all-time charts. She also equally her personal best in the 50 free with a time of 22.24, which is good for third on SDSU's performance list and fifth among league standards.
Smithbaker played a key role in the Aztecs' second-fastest relay teams in school history at this year's MW 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 conference.
Earlier in the season, Smithbaker garnered Mountain West Swimmer of the Week accolades after pacing the Scarlet and Black with three top-seven finishes against a stacked field at Texas A&M's Art Adamson Invitational (Nov. 15-17), featuring a victory in the 50 freestyle (22.24).