H2Okies head to U.S. Open Swimming Championships

Owen looks to have another strong showing at the U.S. Open; Gruber returns to the pool

August 1, 2017

BLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech swimming and diving program will see 13 representatives compete this week at the U. S. Open Swimming Championships held in East Meadow, N.Y. at the Nassau County Aquatics Center. Competition begins on Wednesday, August 2, and will conclude on Sunday, August 6.

The H₂Okies are sending five qualifiers from last year’s NCAA Championships and 11 ACC Championship qualifiers.

At last year’s U.S. Open, Robert Owen broke out and finished second in the 200 back and 100 back. His finals time of 1:56.79 helped him earn a spot on the USA Swimming National Team, the first H₂Okie to be named to the prestigious squad.

Senior Maggie Gruber returns to the pool for her first competition since taking a medical redshirt last season. She looks to return to her form of two years ago, when she made the A final in the 100 fly and 200 fly ay the ACC Championship. Gruber also swam in the 200 free, 200 medley and 400 medley relays that each placed in the top eight.

Below is a list of H₂Okies that will be swimming on Long Island this week:

Harrison Pierce
100 Free
100 Fly
50 Free

Michael Craddock
1500 Free
400 Free
400 IM
200 IM
800 Free

Nate Pawlowicz
400 Free

Colin Murphy
400 Free

Justin Edwards
100 Breast
200 Breast

Robert Owen
200 Back
100 Back
200 IM

Sean Workman
200 Back
100 Back

Jake Lamparella
200 Back
100 Back

Hassler Carroll
200 Free
200 IM

Maggie Gruber
100 Free
100 Fly
50 Free

Adriana Grabski
100 Free
200 Free
50 Free

Chloe Hicks
200 Back
100 Back

Grace Kowal
800 Free
400 Free
500 Free

For updates on Virginia Tech swimming & diving, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_SwimDive