OMAHA, Neb. – Texas A&M sophomore Bethany Galat grabbed a third-place finish in the 400-meter IM to highlight the Aggies' first day at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials on Sunday at the CenturyLink Center.
Seeded 19th entering the Olympic Trials, Galat, from Mishawaka, Ind., placed third in a time of 4:37.69, which improved her seed time by nearly six seconds. Finishing ahead of Galat, and grabbing the U.S.'s two Olympic berths were Maya Dirado (1st, 4:33.73) and Elizabeth Beisel (2nd, 4:36.81). Former Texas A&M swimmer Sarah Henry, who won the 2015 NCAA 400 IM title, placed sixth in a time of 4:42.01.
Also standing out on Sunday was Aggie junior Sarah Gibson, who advanced as the No. 3 qualifier to Monday's 100-meter butterfly final. Gibson advanced through the prelims with a time of 59.19 and then through the semifinals in 58.02. Gibson entered the Trials as the No. 7 seed with a qualifying time of 58.47.
In other action, sophomore Jonathon Tybur placed 17th in the 100-meter breaststroke with a time of 1:01.55, which lopped nearly a second and a half off his seed time as he improved from his No. 65 seed.