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Team USA Memory Lane: From Verbal Commitment to Olympic Stage
From the excitement of committing to college to the thrill of being named to the U.S. Olympic Team, Swimming World likes to cover it all.
So, what about when those former college commits qualified for Tokyo?
Say less. Buckle up, because you’re about to go on a trip down memory lane.
We dug through the archives and discovered commitment posts for 20 of the swimmers heading to Tokyo. Some were already household names when they announced their college decision (we’re talking about you, Katie Ledecky), while others recently burst onto the scene (did someone say Brooks Curry?).
Whether they selected a college on the East Coast or a university on the West Coast, we’re here to celebrate these athletes who are now united under one team: Team USA. Below you will find a time capsule of their commitment photo and Swimming World post, their best time(s) in their qualified event(s) as a high schooler, and their best time(s) heading into the Games.
Pack your bags, folks. But don’t worry – you’re not heading to a college dorm room.
You’re heading to Tokyo.
Hunter Armstrong
Photo Courtesy: Hunter Armstrong
Hunter Armstrong – Ohio State University – 100m back
- Commitment post
- 100m back (2019): 56.40
- 100m back (2021): 52.48
After transferring from West Virginia, Hunter Armstrong relocated closer to home to swim for the Buckeyes. He earned two individual medals at the Big Ten Championships during his sophomore year – including a runnerup finish in the 100 back – and has seen substantial time drops.
Some might say it’s magic, but we’d say it’s years of hard work, dedication, and sacrifice.
Michael Brinegar
Photo Courtesy: Jamie Brinegar
Michael Brinegar – Indiana University – 800m free, 1500m free
- Commitment post
- 800m free (2018): 7:57.22
- 800m free (2021): 7:49.94
- 1500m free (2018): 15:09.00
- 1500m free (2021): 15:00.82
Just like Michael Brinegar did, his mom, Jennifer Hooker Brinegar, is a 1976 Olympian who moved out to California to train with Mark Schubert and the Mission Viejo Nadadores before returning home to IU for college. Like mother, like son, so it must run in the family…and there must be something in the water in Bloomington.
Patrick Callan
Photo Courtesy: @patrickcallan1
Patrick Callan – University of Michigan – 4x200m free relay
- Commitment post
- 200m free (2018): 1:47.33
- 200m free (2021): 1:46.49
When Patrick Callan committed to Michigan in October 2017, Swimming World predicted that he would be a potential Olympic relay member after he placed fourth in the 200m free and led off the silver 4x200m free relay at the FINA World Junior Championships.
That prediction sure did become true. Now that’s some magic.
Brooks Curry
Photo Courtesy: Brooks Curry
Brooks Curry – Louisiana State University – 4x100m free relay
- Commitment post
- 100m free (2019): 50.08
- 100m free (2021): 48.19
Two-and-a-half years ago, Brooks Curry’s times wouldn’t have scored at the SEC Championships.
In 2020, he won LSU’s first conference title since 2004 in the 100 free as a freshman.
Last month, he touched fourth in the 100m free to earn a spot on the 4x100m free relay, becoming a U.S. Olympian.
Wow.
Drew Kibler
Photo Courtesy: Instagram @drew_kibler
Drew Kibler – University of Texas – 4x200m free relay
- Commitment post
- 200m free (2018): 1:47.74
- 200m free (2021): 1:45.92
Drew Kibler’s success at the 2021 NCAA Championships – one gold and two silvers, not to mention a championship trophy – set him up well for a big week in Omaha. Texas has produced at least one man on Team USA’s 4x200m free relay team in every Olympic Games since 1988, and Kibler can now add his name to that list.
Jake Mitchell
Photo Courtesy: Jake Mitchell
Jake Mitchell – University of Michigan – 400m free
- Commitment post
- 400m free (2020): 3:47.95
- 400m free (2021): 3:45.86
Going into college, we all knew Jake Mitchell boasted times that had the potential to be an immediate scorer at both the Big Ten and NCAA Championship level. But did anyone foresee him producing the most epic time trial ever under the bright lights in Omaha? No, but we’re sure glad he did.
Kieran Smith
Photo Courtesy: Kieran Smith
Kieran Smith – University of Florida – 200m free, 400m free, 4x200m free relay
- Commitment post
- 200m free (2018): 1:47.72
- 200m free (2021): 1:45.29
- 400m free (2018): 3:52.16
- 400m free (2021): 3:44.86
When he first committed to the Gators, the 200/400 IM were Kieran Smith’s top events. In fact, the only event he would’ve finaled in at the 2017 SEC Championships at the time was the 200 IM – and it was only the C-final. Now, five years later, he has established himself as one of the best mid-distance freestylers in the world.
Phoebe Bacon
Photo Courtesy: @baconswims
Phoebe Bacon – University of Wisconsin – 200m back
- Commitment post
- 200m back (2020): 2:08.82
- 200m back (2021): 2:06.46
Phoebe Bacon sizzled onto the scene at the Junior Pan Pac Championships in 2018, and her trajectory hasn’t slowed down since. Her top times would’ve landed her in the B-final at the NCAA Championships when she first committed to the Badgers, and she continued Wisconsin’s 200 back tradition at the national meet as a freshman.
From NCAA champion to U.S. Olympian just months apart, Bacon’s resume is looking pretty good.
Catie DeLoof
Photo Courtesy: Catie DeLoof
Catie DeLoof – University of Michigan – 4x100m free relay
- Commitment post
- 100m free (2015): 57.85
- 100m free (2021): 53.77
It was no surprise when Catie DeLoof selected Michigan, following in the footsteps of older sisters Ali and Gabby. She had a stellar career with the Wolverines – helping them clinch three Big Ten titles – and her decision to move to Charlottesville last year certainly paid off.
Kate Douglass
Photo Courtesy: Kate Douglass, Instagram
Kate Douglass – University of Virginia – 200m IM
- Commitment post
- 200m IM (2019): 2:13.55
- 200m IM (2021): 2:09.32
Kate Douglass, the 2021 national champion in the 50 free, used her sprint speed to close out an epic 200m IM, by far one of the closest race at Trials. After two years at Virginia full of trophies and records, an Olympic berth is the icing on the cake as she enters the halfway mark through her college career.
Brooke Forde
Photo Courtesy: Brooke Forde (Twitter)
Brooke Forde – Stanford University – 4x200m free
- Commitment post
- 200m free (2017): 1:58.85
- 200m free (2021): 1:57.61
Brooke Forde knows a thing or two about patience.
The recent Stanford grad had to wait five days – yep, five days – to finally be able to say, “I’m Brooke Forde and I’m a Tokyo Olympian.” Thankfully, things worked out exactly how they needed to for Forde to be able to board that plane to Tokyo – and she didn’t even need to swim an extra 50 to do so.
Torri Huske
Photo Courtesy: Hannah Knittig
Torri Huske – Stanford University commit – 100m fly
- Commitment post
- 100m fly (2021): 55.66
After flying onto the international scene as a 16-year-old, Torri Huske is bound to continue making a statement on the world’s biggest stage. Her record-breaking club career will surely set her up for success at Stanford, and with plans to head to The Farm this fall, Huske, along with Olympic teammate Regan Smith, is about to be one of the coolest freshmen on campus.
Lydia Jacoby
Photo Courtesy: @lydiaalicee_
Lydia Jacoby – University of Texas commit – 100m breast
- Commitment post
- 100m breast (2021): 1:05.28
With many members of Team USA coming from well-known club programs in heavily-concentrated swimming areas, one individual has etched her name into the short list of elite swimmers from non-powerhouse states: Lydia Jacoby, who became the first swimmer from Alaska to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team. Just 17 years old, she will return to the Last Frontier for her senior year before arriving in Austin in Fall 2022.
Katie Ledecky
Photo Courtesy: Katie Ledecky
Katie Ledecky – Stanford University – 200m free, 400m free, 800m free, 1500m free, 4x200m free relay
- Commitment post
- 200m free (2016): 1:53.73
- 200m free (2021): 1:53.73
- 400m free (2016): 3:56.46
- 400m free (2021): 3:56.46
- 800m free (2016): 8:04.79
- 800m free (2021): 8:04.79
- 1500m free (2016): 15:25.48
- 1500m free (2021): 15:20.48
People already knew of Katie Ledecky long before she announced her decision to swim for the Cardinal. Just as it was really no surprise she was heading to The Farm, no one was shocked when she decided to turn pro after her sophomore season. Between her NCAA success and her international dominance, she has solidified herself at the top of Stanford’s long list of greats.
Katie McLaughlin
Photo Courtesy: @katiemclaughlin21
Katie McLaughlin – University of California, Berkeley – 4x200m free relay
- Commitment post
- 200m free (2015): 1:57.55
- 200m free (2021): 1:56.48
This was a long time coming for Katie McLaughlin, an Olympic contender in 2016 but came up just short while recovering from a neck injury. But with a new perspective in tow, the former Golden Bear with an impressive collegiate career has finally fulfilled her dream of being an Olympian.
Regan Smith
Photo Courtesy: @regansmith4
Regan Smith – Stanford University commit – 100m back, 200m fly
- Commitment post
- 100m back (2021): 57.57
- 200m fly (2021): 2:06.39
Regan Smith, who deferred her enrollment to Stanford, will certainly be one of the big names to watch later this month. Although the 200m back world record holder won’t be swimming that event in Tokyo, we’re pretty confident there will be some redemption in the future. She’ll surely make her NCAA debut the same way she did on the international stage: guns-blazing with jaw-dropping times.
Erica Sullivan
Photo Courtesy: @erica.sully
Erica Sullivan – University of Texas commit – 1500m free
- Commitment post
- 1500m free (2021): 15:51.18
Distance ace Erica Sullivan has not had the typical path to college. She has endured several personal hardships over the past few years, but while many would whither under the pressure, she faced it head on – and will now represent the red, white, and blue because of it. Sullivan would unquestionably be a huge addition to any roster no matter where she landed, and now the Longhorns have yet another Olympian on hand.
Alex Walsh
Photo Courtesy: Alex Walsh
Alex Walsh – University of Virginia – 200m IM
- Commitment post
- 200m IM (2020): 2:09.01
- 200m IM (2021): 2:08.87
Little did anyone know that a 1-2 finish for Alex Walsh and Douglass in the 200 IM at the 2021 ACC Championships would foreshadow the results a few months later at Trials. But, under Todd DeSorbo, the two Cavaliers made that a reality, as rising UVA sophomore Walsh had the race of her life to punch her ticket to Tokyo.
From raising the NCAA trophy to standing under the red, white, and blue – these two Hoos are about to make a splash on the big stage, together.
Emma Weyant
Photo Courtesy: @emmaweyant
Emma Weyant – University of Virginia commit – 400m IM
- Commitment post
- 400m IM (2021): 4:33.81
Emma Weyant’s decision to stay in Sarasota proved worth it, as she secured a spot for Tokyo with an insane last 50 in the 400m IM in Omaha. Her winning time at Trials was seven seconds faster than the time that earned her gold at Junior Pan Pacs in 2018, and she’ll soon be taking her talents to the defending national champs.
Douglass, Walsh, and Weyant in Charlottesville this upcoming season? Watch out, world.
Rhyan White
Photo Courtesy: Rhyan White
Rhyan White – University of Alabama – 100m back, 200m back
- Commitment post
- 100m back (2018): 1:01.57
- 100m back (2021): 58.43
- 200m back (2018): 2:11.20
- 200m back (2021): 2:05.73
Talk about numbers not lying. Rhyan White, the only swimmer from Utah to ever qualify for the Olympics, has seen some major time drops since suiting up for Alabama. The 2021 SEC Swimmer of the Year exploded onto the scene this year, earning silver in the 100 and 200 back at the NCAA Championships after collecting four golds at the SEC Championships.
Not sure about you, but we’d say she definitely found her groove down in Tuscaloosa.
