Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Trio of Marshall swimmers take aim at Olympic Trials
12/4/2019 4:09:00 PM | Women's Swimming and Diving, Word on the Herd
Three Herd student-athletes competing at the US Open in Atlanta this week
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
This week, a trio of Marshall University swimmers will share the pool with some of the biggest names in the sport.
Catherine Bendziewicz, Jordyn O'Dell and Heather Sigmon will compete in the US Open in Atlanta. They're aiming high: June's Olympic Trials Meet. This week's meet is Wednesday through Saturday and includes stars of the sport like Katie Ledecky, Caeleb Dressel, Simone Manuel, Matt Grevers, Hali Flickinger, Olivia Smoliga and Regan Smith.
Bendziewicz is a senior from Chapin, South Carolina. O'Dell is a senior from Charleston, West Virginia. Sigmon is a junior from Greensboro, North Carolina.
"These three women have worked incredibly hard to get to this point," said Ian Walsh, the head swimming and diving coach at Marshall. "Regardless of the outcome, they have a lot to be proud of and this will give us a lot of information on how to continue to improve through the rest of our season and leading into the summer.
"A meet like this is all about managing emotions and being able to harness the excitement and energy throughout the meet. We have the best swimmers in the world here at this meet and to race toe-to-toe with them is an incredible experience.
"Taylor Counter, our assistant coach, and I are excited about the future of this program and these three are at the forefront of what we hope to achieve as we build this team. Marshall has provided us with the tools and resources to help athletes like Catherine, Jordyn and Heather chase their dreams of competing at Olympic Trials. We are so grateful for that and I know these three have made those who support our program, university and community so proud."
The trio of Thundering Herd swimmers answered five questions before the beginning of the competition. Their answers are below:
In which events will you be competing?
Bendziewicz: This weekend I will be competing one event per day on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. They will be the 200-meter Individual Medley (IM), 200-meter freestyle and 100-meter freestyle.
O'Dell: I'll be competing in the 100-meter backstroke. I will have the opportunity to swim this event both Thursday night and Friday morning.
Sigmon: 100-meter backstroke.
This meet has some of the biggest names in the sport. What's it like competing on that kind of stage?
Bendziewicz: It's really cool to be able to compete with some of the Olympians you see here. I've never been to a meet like this, a meet this big, so I'm really excited to stand up and see what I can do. The atmosphere is going to be something extremely new, and I think it will be a good learning experience as well as a great opportunity to race at a higher caliber."
O'Dell: I get to swim with some of the Olympians I grew up watching on TV. Walking into the pool and seeing big names like Ryan Lochte, Caeleb Dressel and Katie Ledecky in person left me starstruck, but all the more thrilled to be competing at this level. I am the most nervous and excited I have ever been. To be able to represent both Marshall University and the state of West Virginia at this meet is an honor.
Sigmon: In 2015 leading up to the 2016 Olympics I had the opportunity to compete at similar meets with big names like this. It's really cool to be back in an environment like this and think about how much I've grown as a swimmer in the past four years. Bigger meets like this are really fun to compete at because you get to watch Olympians race and see how they prepare to swim.
What do you hope to accomplish in Atlanta?
Bendziewicz: I haven't raced in a 50-meter pool is a long time, at least three years, so I'm excited to see how I'll do. I'm happy with where I am now in my training to be able to get my Olympic Trials cut here. Olympic Trials are at the end of June, so if anything I have a good starting point for how to train to end up in Omaha for that meet.
O'Dell: The US Open is a competition where you can qualify for US Olympic Trials, the next step. This is where the top swimmers in the country compete for a spot on the Olympic team. My goal is to qualify for Trials and compete there this summer. So few athletes make it to this level and to be able to qualify is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Sigmon: With the meet being long course it is an opportunity to qualify for Olympic Trials. So it would be ideal to qualify as early as possible but if not just getting practice racing long course.
What have you done to prepare for this meet?
Bendziewicz: This summer I did a lot of swimming to get back in shape from surgery. I knew there was going to be a swim meet to compete at in December, so putting in a long time of hard training from June to now has been crucial. Swimming is a year-round sport full of periods of hard training and rest. Being able to work and train hard for the past few months to get to this point of rest is very important. It takes a lot of time sacrifices as well as diet and health modifications in order to be in shape and confident in the water.
O'Dell: Training for this meet began over the course of last year and through the summer. Swimming is a sport where you must continuously be training, as there is no "offseason." We have been preparing for this meet since May doing doubles, lifting, and taking care of ourselves. Over the next couple of days we are confident that all the training and long hours will pay off.
Sigmon: I qualified less than two weeks ago so maintaining strength in the water and focusing on the things I need to work on.
What's your ultimate goal – for this meet and beyond?
Bendziewicz: My ultimate goal is to qualify for Olympic Trials. This has been a goal of mine since high school since I knew it would be the summer after my senior year of college. Just being able to go and represent Marshall University and compete with Olympians is how I have always wanted to end my swimming career.
O'Dell: Being a senior, I hope to use my last year of eligibility to go as far as I can with my swimming career. After I graduate I plan on going to medical school, so this year I am truly giving it my all athletically.
Sigmon: To qualify for the 2020 Olympic Trails. In 2016 I missed the qualifying time by three one hundredths of a second. While I didn't make it in 2016 I knew that in 2020 I would have the experience of swimming in college and that would help me.
