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OSU’s Trebilcock qualifies for Olympic Trials
By Joe Scalzo
In early March, Ohio State sophomore Garrett Trebilcock swam from Columbus to Omaha, Neb., in just 55 seconds.
At the Columbus Grand Prix on March 10 — his last meet of the short course season — Trebilcock posted a time of 55.25 to finish 16th in the preliminaries of the 100-yard butterfly and qualify for the Olympic Trials, which will be held June 25-July 2 in Omaha.
A day later, Trebilcock qualified in a second event, the 200 individual medley, with a time of 2:05.78. Trebilcock is the third Valley native to make the Olympic Trials in the last decade, joining Boardman’s Tyler O’Halloran who did so in 2004 and Warren Harding’s Nate King in 2008. All three were also members of the Penguin Swimming club team.
“I know only about 1,200 swimmers make the trials, so I feel very honored,” said Trebilcock, a Canfield High graduate who lowered his 100 fly time to 55.08 in the finals. “It only happens once every four years so it was one of the really great things of my career.”
Trebilcock, didn’t originally make the 200 IM qualifying time — his time of 2:06.97 was about a half-second off — and wasn’t sure he wanted to swim in that night’s final.
“It was during finals week and I just kind of wanted to get back and start studying,” said Trebilcock, who estimates about 20 Ohio State swimmers will also compete at the trials. “My coach said to me, ‘You don’t want to go all the way to Omaha just to swim one night.’”
Trebilcock, a former Division II state champion in the 200 IM, said reaching the trials was one of four goals he made when he arrived at OSU: make the Big Ten team (check), place in the top eight at the Big Ten meet (his best finish at this year’s meet was 13th in the 100 fly) and qualify for NCAA nationals (no check ... yet).
Alas, making the Olympic team isn’t on the list — “It means a lot just to come this far,” he said — and he just wants to improve his times, enjoy the Omaha experience and maybe get some photos with Olympic swimmers such as Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte.
“It’s an honor to race against them,” he said.