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True Sweetser has been making a lot of noise in the pool in the past year, climbing steadily up the distance freestyle rankings as we approach the Olympic Trials. That talent will be on display for four years at Stanford University, where Sweetser has made a verbal commitment to attend.
Sweetser first made a name for himself at the senior level by making the finals of the 2014 winter nationals in the 500 freestyle, competing against some major heavyweights who had already made their mark in the event. Sweetser showed no fear and placed fourth with a 4:17.65. Later in the meet, he finished third in the 1650-yard freestyle with a 14:49.43. He dropped five seconds in his 500 free lifetime best and 17 seconds in the 1650 to earn the podium finishes.
Sweetser’s time in the mile would have been just outside the top eight at the 2015 NCAA championships, which gives a lot of hope to Stanford’s distance program that will be looking for a replacement for current senior Danny Thomson. With his 1650 free likely to get him into the NCAA championships, Sweetser might find the motivation to post a big drop in the 500 free and earn points there as well.
Last summer, Sweetser placed second in the 1500 free with a 15:10.73, one of three lifetime bests that he swam at the meet while representing Gator Swim Club. He also posted a 1:50.25 in the 200 free and 3:49.33 in the 400 free.
Sweetser will swim all three of those events at the Olympics Trials, and he could find himself in the 1500 free final in Omaha. He’s going to close out the year as the fifth-fastest American in the event, less than a second behind fourth place. While he would need to drop a significant amount of time to challenge for a spot on the 2016 Olympic team, Sweetser is going to be a name to remember in the next Olympic cycle, which will start the minute he steps foot on the Stanford campus.