Falcon Swimmers Kain and Rom Qualify For 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials

This weekend, several members of the Bowling Green State University swim team traveled to Cleveland, Ohio to compete in a 2011 Speedo Champions Series Sectional meet held at Cleveland State University and hosted by the Solon Stars Swim Club. Two of the Falcons swimming in the meet, Alexis Kain and Amanda Rom, used the opportunity as a stepping stone to something greater -- the 2012 United States Olympic Trials.

In the 100-meter breaststroke event held on Saturday (July 23), Kain and Rom each qualified for the 32-swimmer finals, swimming top-eight times of 1:13.16 and 1:13.48, respectively. The pair then took a step toward an Olympic dream in the finals by each surpassing the qualifying standard of 1:12.19.

Rom finished fourth overall in 1:11.92, while Kain's time (1:12.01) earned sixth place.

The 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials are scheduled to be held in Omaha, Neb. between June 25 and July 2. According to USA Swimming, only 89 swimmers had qualified in the 100 breaststroke through June 24, 2011. Qualifying began in October 2009.

BGSU head coach Petra Martin said, "I couldn't be happier for the girls and am very proud of all the work that we have done to get to this point. Amanda, Alexis and I are leaving for the USA Senior Nationals at Stanford, Calif. in a week and a half. It will be a great experience for them before heading to the Trials next year. It's a great time to be a Falcon swimmer!"

According to Martin, fewer than 0.5% of American swimmers make the Olympic Trials cut. She added, "It's one of the fastest meets in the world and a great honor to be there. It is truly a very elite group of people that are able to achieve these standards."

The Olympic Trials are the setting at which the team for the 2012 Summer Olympics will be selected. The 30th Summer Olympics will be held in London, England from July 27 through August 12, 2012.

For those unaware, distances for events such as this are measured in meters, whereas collegiate competition distances are measured in yards. For 100-meter events, the swim is just over nine yards longer than the 100-yard events.

During the 2010-11 season, Kain and Rom dominated the breaststroke events for the Falcons on a consistent basis.

Kain set all-time BGSU records in both the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke at the 2011 Mid-American Conference Championships and swept the two events at five of BGSU's seven dual meets during the regular season. She also placed second overall in the 100-yard breaststroke at the 2010 Eastern Michigan University Invitational.

Rom is second all-time in BGSU history in the 100-yard breaststroke and third in the 200-yard version. She won the 100-yard event in a dual meet with Youngstown State during the 2011 season and accumulated 12 different second- or third-place finishes during the regular season. She also fared well at the 2010 EMU Invitational, placing in the top five for both breaststroke events (third, 100-yard; fourth, 200-yard).

On Thursday (July 21) at the Speedo Championships, both Rom and Kain also finished in the top eight in the 200-meter breaststroke finals. Rom finished second overall, completing the swim in 2:37.61. The time was less than two seconds shy of the Olympic Trials cut time in that event.

Other Falcons swimmers at the Speedo Champions Series meet are Emily Waller, Andrea Brown and Katie Womack. Waller earned spots in the finals of three different events thus far. Her best overall finish is ninth, in the 800-meter freestyle. She also placed 12th in the 400-freestyle and 18th in the 200-freestyle.

Competition at the meet concludes today.

Video of Kain and Rom's 100-meter breaststroke race:

Post-race interview with Kain and Rom:

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