Episcopal Academy teammates excited to reconnect at U.S. Olympic Trials
A few weeks ago, Emma Seiberlich got an unexpected message from Alex Sumner.
The Episcopal Academy teammates were prepping for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, which start Sunday, squaring away their logistics and logging training miles for separate clubs. But Sumner reached out to ask about one of the myriad small details that help make the environment at Trials so daunting.
“She texted me a few weeks ago about the meal plan they offer,” Seiberlich said. “She was like, ‘are you doing this so we can have someone to talk to?’”
Banal as it seems, finding a familiar face among the 1,790 athletes and thousands of spectators at CenturyLink Arena in Omaha, Neb., is a welcome sight. And for the two EA standouts, that comfort can go a long way in helping achieve goals.
Seiberlich and Sumner are each entered in seven total events at Trials, overlapping in the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke. Neither is a realistic threat to grab one of the two Olympic berths in each event. But for swimmers so young — Seiberlich will be a senior in the fall, Sumner a junior — the meet is a monumental juncture in their careers.
And the chance to swim in front of some 200,000 spectators who’ve sold out all eight days of the event broadcast on national television is an experience few athletes get.
“I think it’ll be the most exciting meet I’ve ever been to,” Sumner said last week after practice at Hidden Hollow Swim Club in Media. “They’ll have all the stuff going on on deck, and the finals are really exciting. There are so many people there. I’ve never been to a meet with that many people.
“I’ve been to nationals before and that’s sort of exciting because there’s Olympians there, but there’s not that many people (in the stands) and because people are trying to qualify for the Olympics, I think that makes it more exciting.”
Having a teammate to share it with will help navigate the pageantry and occasional chaos on deck and in the warmup pool, not to mention hours of downtime that must be used wisely.
Trials is an unusual first for the duo. Seiberlich and Sumner rarely swim together, having developed on parallel tracks in their youths. Seiberlich was confined to YMCA meets with the Phoenixville Y, and Sumner competed in USA Swimming with Suburban Swim Club. Most of their high school training is also with their clubs, and the high school meet is such that they rarely compete against each other, fanning out to cover more events that the talented duo can win in most instances.
They’ll overlap at Trials, though, both qualifying in the two backstroke events, their seed times in the 200 separated by .01 seconds, with Seiberlich owning the edge.
“I’m really excited to go to Trials, especially because Emma is going to be there,” Sumner said. “In the high school season, we didn’t really swim the same events. But now, we sort of are. I’m glad that she’s going to be there because we became really good friends this year.”
Sumner is entered in both IMs, the 200 and the 400, which kicks off festivities Sunday. Seiberlich has the 200 butterfly, where she’s seeded 26th.
The backstroke events provide a rare direct competition, though with a twist. They’re seeded 24th and 25th in the 200 back, likely landing them in different eight-person heats, barring a scratch. Sumner is 52nd in the 100 back, Seiberlich 65th.
Even if they’re not in the water together, they’ll be pushing one another.
“I definitely want to beat Alex, and she probably definitely wants to beat me,” Seiberlich said. “That’s no secret or anything. We’re both competitive girls. I wouldn’t say we’re very vocal about it, but we definitely are competitive with each other.”
That congenial, mature dynamic is part of the reason they’re so grateful to see each other in Omaha. Sumner transferred to Episcopal Academy last year, joining a team that boasted an array of talent, led by 2014-15 Daily Times Female Swimmer of the Year Seiberlich.
Seiberlich admits that she watched anxiously in Sumner’s first meet last December against Germantown Academy as the slight sophomore threatened many of Seiberlich’s pool records. But they’ve managed to grow as friends over the last season, delivering EA a long-awaited Inter-Ac title.
In the water, there’s little overlap beyond their areas of specialty. The rangy Seiberlich is a powerful swimmer who prefers to charge late. Sumner, whose diminutive build belies the power packed within, cuts through the water daintily, despite her sprinting instincts.
On deck, though, their quiet demeanors have allowed a friendship to flourish.
“Alex is nice to have around because she’s very calm with everything,” Seiberlich said. “She’s not too hostile in terms of like, ‘oh I’m in my zone.’ She’s very laidback, just like I am, so we get along very well in that way.”
Rio is likely out of the grasp of either, as they readily admit. But there are intermediate prizes to be attained in Omaha. Spots in August’s Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Hawaii, which go to high performing swimmers under age 18, are available. Designation as a member of the national junior team, which Seiberlich earned in two events last year, is also up for grabs, while the college recruiting period opens immediately following Trials for Seiberlich, who’s attracted high Division I interest.
The big dream would be to sneak into a second swim, making semifinals as one of the top 16 qualifiers (the 400 IM bypasses semis).
But there are other important things to plan, like what movies to watch back at the hotels to fill the quiet hours and what day to take pictures in their Episcopal Academy garb. And for two very talented swimmers who view this meet as a stepping stone to another trip in four years when they may seriously challenge for Olympic berths, there’s also the constant reminder to soak up the ambience.
“I know there’s going to be a lot of new experiences during Trials, but I also want to swim well,” Seiberlich said. “At the same time, it’s low-pressure. I can do well with low pressure, so I’m looking forward to it.”
