Grace Oglesby, Allie Raab, and Michael Taylor were among the big winners at the Eastern Junior Nationals held this past weekend at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. After their wins on the final evening of competition, this trio and other event champions took the time to speak with Swimming World’s David Rieder and share their thoughts on their performances and their preparation for the upcoming Olympic Trials.
Oglesby won tight victories in both butterfly events in Atlanta. She took the 100 on Friday night and then won a tight race over Hannah Kukurugya in the 200 fly on Saturday. After the latter victory, she talked about her quick final split that earned her the victory, which event she considers her best, and why she chose to stay close to home and attend Louisville next fall.
Raab earned a pair of Junior National titles in the two breaststroke events. She just missed breaking the 1:00-barrier in the 100-yard distance, but she did get under 2:10 in the longer swim. She commented after the 200 on what she had expected in her swims and how her new teammates at Nashville Aquatic Club have been a positive influence for her.
Taylor, the Atlanta native, shared his feelings on winning Junior Nationals in a pool he has swum in since childhood. He also looked ahead to Olympic Trials, where he will look to break into the mix with a strong group of talented veteran American backstrokers.
More Interviews
Brooke Forde (400 IM champion)
Kaitlin Harty (200 back champion and 100 back runner-up)
Camden Murphy (100 and 200 fly champion)
Michael Jensen (50, 100, and 200 free champion)
Taylor Delk (1650 free champion)
Madison Homovich (1650 free champion)
Isabel Ivey (100 free champion)
Charles Vaughn (200 breast champion)
Camden Murphy (Novi, MI) swims for Kingfish Aquatics, not Lakeside. Thank you.
Whoops, apologies. Typo when naming them. Corrected!