GAMBIER – Hannah Saiz and Andrea Perttula, two swimmers with direct ties to the Kenyon College program, recently qualified for Wave I of the Olympic Trials, which will take place this weekend at the CHI Health Center Omaha in Nebraska.
Perttula, who has two years of experience with the Ladies, temporarily stepped away from campus this year due to the pandemic. While away, she lived and trained in Denver. On Monday at the Scottsdale Aquatic Club’s Cactus Classic, Perttula completed the 100-meter breaststroke with a personal-best qualifying time of 1:10.13.
Saiz, a 2013 graduate of Kenyon and still the owner of both Ladies’ butterfly records, is now a two-time Olympic Trials qualifier. At the 2016 Trials, also in Omaha, she got through two preliminary rounds and placed eighth in the 200-meter butterfly final with a time of 2:11.88. She also chalked up a 24th-place finish in the 100-meter butterfly, clocking in at 1:00.01. Later that summer, she went on to win the 2016 U.S. Open Championship in the 200.
This time around, Saiz — the current swimming and diving coach at Saint Norbert College — qualified with a time of 59.77 in the 100-meter butterfly.
As the two head for Omaha, they will be focused on claiming a top-two finish in their event. Doing so moves them forward to Wave II of the Olympic Trials, which is also in Omaha, beginning on June 13. Wave II will serve as the final qualifier for swimmers to make the U.S. Olympic Team for the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
NBC and USA Swimming will both have coverage of the Trials. Perttula will be swimming the 100-meter breaststroke on Saturday, while Saiz is scheduled to compete in the 100-meter butterfly on Sunday.
