GRANVILLE, Ohio (June 17, 2024) – Denison University junior swimmer
Gavin Jones qualified for the 2024 United States Olympic Trials at the 2024 Longhorn Elite Invite in Austin, Texas in May. Jones is now set to compete at the US Trials on June 18th, 2024.
Jones swam a lifetime best 2:14.73 in the 200m Breaststroke and finished second out of 28 in the prelims. 2:15.99 is the official time standard set by USA Swimming, and only two additional swimmers made trial cuts with Jones during the A Final.
When asked about the atmosphere at the Longhorn Elite Invite, Jones had this to say.
"The meet that I qualified at was made up of athletes looking to qualify for the Olympic trials, like myself, and pro athletes who were just looking to tune up for the trials. You could feel some tension and nervous energy in the air. I got the chance to race World and American record-holders and I think the competition being such a high-level environment brought out the best in me. I've found that my nerves will normally get me to where I need to be in terms of getting pumped up. From there, it's all about staying present in the moment and maintaining that nervous energy. I follow a bunch of little rituals in terms of warm-up and pre-race preparation that keep me calm and let my body know that it's go time."
Jones has competed at the NCAA Division III National Championships all three seasons of his college career so far. With five NCAA Division III All-American performances (200 IM, 800 freestyle relay, 200 breaststroke, and 400 IM twice), Jones is no stranger to high level competition.
The Bellingham native has found success competing for Denison at both the conference and national level, while also excelling in the classroom. Jones is a 2021-22 & 2022-23 CSCAA First-Team Scholar All-American, was named to the 2022-23 NCAC Academic Honor Roll, was a Denison Top-50 Scholar-Athlete for the 2022-23 & 2023-24 school year, and was the recipient for the 2024 Ted Barclay Top-Five Award.
"I'm excited to represent D3 athletics in the highest level of competition on US soil. Not many athletes whether it be D3, D2, or D1 get the chance to compete at an Olympic trials so it's going to be an awesome experience. It's going to be great to show the rest of the country what D3 is all about." Said Jones.
Indianapolis, Indiana, will host the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials (June 15-23). For the first time ever, the event will be staged on a football field as Lucas Oil Stadium is tapped to host the Olympic-qualifying meet in front of hundreds of thousands of families, friends and fans over nine days. Jones is set to compete on June 18
th, 2024.
Jones concluded, "This has been a six year process for me starting when I was back in high school. The whole journey really demonstrates just how nonlinear sports and life in general can be. Before this year I hadn't dropped time in this event since high school. I worked day in and day out and often found myself frustrated by the lack of results to show from it. This year alone I've cut over 5 seconds off my best time. Patience and dedication to the process can pay off in marvelous ways. It takes a village. None of this is possible without my family and all of my teammates, coaches, and friends throughout the years. There have been so many people who have helped me on this journey. I'm incredibly grateful to all of them and all of the support they have given me. It's easy to believe in yourself when you have the level of support I've been lucky to have."
