Patterson, Mlynarczyk Shine on National Stage
12/23/2020 9:15:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving
Colonial swimmers make splash amid preparations for upcoming season
Amid preparations for the upcoming season, GW swimmers Ryan Patterson and Karol Mlynarczyk recently showcased their continued progress in meets on the national stage.
A junior from Elkhorn, Neb., Patterson became the program's first U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier in recent memory with his efforts at the Toyota U.S. Open last month.Â
Representing Atlanta's Dynamo Swim Club, Patterson posted a personal-best time of 56.30 seconds in the 100 LCM backstroke to place 21st in a decorated field and clinch his spot at the Trials this summer. He also swam the 50 LCM back (:27.42) and 200 LCM back (2:06.13) at the Huntsville, Ala., regional as part of the re-imagined multi-site national championship meet.
"Ryan's improvement during his time at GW has been a ton of fun to watch," GW head coach Brian Thomas said. "This accomplishment represents a bit of a milestone in the resurgence of swimming and diving at GW - it's been a long time since we've been represented at the U.S. Olympic Trials.Â
"With the meet being hosted in Ryan's hometown of Omaha, there's some added significance. With every session broadcast on NBC and thousands of people in the stands, U.S. Olympic Trials is a phenomenal stage for GW. We're always excited to represent the Buff and Blue on national TV, and we've been fortunate enough to do that with some regularity over the past few years."
Mlynarczyk had a quick turnaround to the Polish Senior Championships after heading home following his fall semester in Foggy Bottom, but the first-year proved up to the challenge, highlighted by a bronze medal swim in the 50 SCM backstroke with a personal-best finals time of 23.83 seconds.
Mlynarczyk also landed a personal best in the 100 SCM back, taking fourth in 51.45 seconds. He also placed fifth in the 200 SCM back in 1:55.30 and was part of a relay victory in the 400 SCM medley relay with his home club G-8 Bielany Warsaw.
"I was thrilled with Karol's results at the Polish National meet, especially considering that he didn't rest for the meet," Thomas said. "Other than backing off to allow for travel time, we didn't adjust anything.Â
"Karol was definitely a bright spot for us with his training throughout the fall, and he still has massive room for improvement. We take a lot of pride in providing an environment that allows our international athletes to compete back home while also working to represent GW at the NCAA level - Karol's results are a good indication that you can do both at a high level here."
Thomas praised Patterson, Mlynarczyk and the rest of the Colonials for their strong work this fall amid difficult circumstances created by the COVID-19 global pandemic.
After a brief holiday break, the Buff and Blue will ramp up training for their competitive season. The women will be looking to repeat as A-10 champions, while the men aim to reclaim their place atop the conference standings after finishing runner-up in 2020.
The 2021 A-10 Championships have been rescheduled for April 14-17 at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. The rest of GW's schedule will be announced soon.
A junior from Elkhorn, Neb., Patterson became the program's first U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier in recent memory with his efforts at the Toyota U.S. Open last month.Â
Representing Atlanta's Dynamo Swim Club, Patterson posted a personal-best time of 56.30 seconds in the 100 LCM backstroke to place 21st in a decorated field and clinch his spot at the Trials this summer. He also swam the 50 LCM back (:27.42) and 200 LCM back (2:06.13) at the Huntsville, Ala., regional as part of the re-imagined multi-site national championship meet.
"Ryan's improvement during his time at GW has been a ton of fun to watch," GW head coach Brian Thomas said. "This accomplishment represents a bit of a milestone in the resurgence of swimming and diving at GW - it's been a long time since we've been represented at the U.S. Olympic Trials.Â
"With the meet being hosted in Ryan's hometown of Omaha, there's some added significance. With every session broadcast on NBC and thousands of people in the stands, U.S. Olympic Trials is a phenomenal stage for GW. We're always excited to represent the Buff and Blue on national TV, and we've been fortunate enough to do that with some regularity over the past few years."
Mlynarczyk had a quick turnaround to the Polish Senior Championships after heading home following his fall semester in Foggy Bottom, but the first-year proved up to the challenge, highlighted by a bronze medal swim in the 50 SCM backstroke with a personal-best finals time of 23.83 seconds.
Mlynarczyk also landed a personal best in the 100 SCM back, taking fourth in 51.45 seconds. He also placed fifth in the 200 SCM back in 1:55.30 and was part of a relay victory in the 400 SCM medley relay with his home club G-8 Bielany Warsaw.
"I was thrilled with Karol's results at the Polish National meet, especially considering that he didn't rest for the meet," Thomas said. "Other than backing off to allow for travel time, we didn't adjust anything.Â
"Karol was definitely a bright spot for us with his training throughout the fall, and he still has massive room for improvement. We take a lot of pride in providing an environment that allows our international athletes to compete back home while also working to represent GW at the NCAA level - Karol's results are a good indication that you can do both at a high level here."
Thomas praised Patterson, Mlynarczyk and the rest of the Colonials for their strong work this fall amid difficult circumstances created by the COVID-19 global pandemic.
After a brief holiday break, the Buff and Blue will ramp up training for their competitive season. The women will be looking to repeat as A-10 champions, while the men aim to reclaim their place atop the conference standings after finishing runner-up in 2020.
The 2021 A-10 Championships have been rescheduled for April 14-17 at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. The rest of GW's schedule will be announced soon.
Players Mentioned
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