Panthers Excel at Olympic Trials
7/8/2008 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
July 8, 2008
OMAHA, Neb.—Former and current Pitt swimmers Jason Miller, Kristin Brown and Stacie Safritt returned home Monday after successful outings at the recent Olympic Trials held in the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb.
“Our athletes represented Pitt well,” said Head Swimming and Diving Coach Chuck Knoles. “Our alumni Jason and Kristin showed why they earned a spot on our walk of fame, and senior Stacie Safritt left no doubt why she was elected to be a captain this coming season.
“All three are great workers and leaders and I am very proud to have been associated with them in their time at Pitt.”
Miller, a 2006 graduate, swam the 100 fly at the trials. Ranked 93rd, Miller came into the meet with a time of 55.48. Then after swimming a career best, he finished 48th with a 54.65.
Miller, who currently resides in Raleigh, was a team captain for the Panthers in 2005-06 and was the male Blue-Gold Award winner in 2006.
Safritt, a current team captain, competed in the 50 free and swam a time trial in the 100 free. In her 100 free, she swam a 57.27 knocking more than a second off of her lifetime best and just missing the qualifying standard for the meet by eight hundredths of a second.
She later went on to compete in the 50 free, swimming a 26.46 that finished 71st and just shy of her entry time. Safritt was a 2006 NCAA qualifier as part of the Panthers’ 200 and 400 free relay teams.
Brown, a 2007 graduate, competed in the 100, 200 and 400 freestyle events. In addition to setting Allegheny Mountain Swimming records in all three events, she placed in the top 35 in each race.
Her first event was the 400 free where she dropped a second off her time to 4:15.89, and finished 28th to improve from 48th. Then in the 200 free, she finished five hundredths of a second off of her best time at 2:01.21, moving from 34th to 29th. The next day, Brown swam a time trial in the 200 free posting a 1:59.89, a time that ranks her 56th in the world for 2008.
In her final event, Brown swam a 56.01 in the 100 free, dropping nearly a second off her time and moving her from 67th to 32nd overall.
Brown was the female Blue-Gold Award winner in 2007 and was a two-time Big East Conference Champion in the 200 free and a two-time NCAA qualifier.
“Jason, Stacie and Kristin have all come a long way since they first entered Pitt,” said Knoles. “It is a tribute to their hard work and dedication that they have been able to make such great strides. It is an example for our younger Panthers that hard work does indeed pay off.
“The staff and I are working diligently throughout the summer to ensure that more Panthers continue to strive forth and reach for their dreams. HAIL TO PITT!”