🏊‍♀️ Steward Finishes Fifth in 200m Breaststroke at 2021 Olympic Swim Trials

OMAHA, Neb. – Kansas junior Kate Steward concluded her 2021 Olympic Swim Trials Wave I swimming in the 200-meter breaststroke on Monday in Omaha, Nebraska.

Steward came out in the morning preliminary session swimming with force to finish with a final time of 2:32.74 and sit second in the field of women in the A Final. With the second-fastest qualifying time, the Bartlesville, Oklahoma native swam in lane five of the finals.

Getting a strong first 150-meters, it came down to the final 50-meters. Steward, Gracie Weyant, Abigail Herscu and Kristina Murphy made the final turn within nine-tenths of a second of one another making a sprint to the finish. Steward forged ahead and finished with a final time of 2:32.12 beating her morning prelim time to finish fifth in the field.

"We are so happy for Kate and the way she competed this week. Earning two A Finals at this meet was thrilling for us all. She grew as a competitor and represented Jayhawk Nation so well. This was an incredible springboard into her senior year!"

CLARK CAMPBELL, KANSAS HEAD COACH

Steward had qualified for both the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke in the Wave I sessions of the 2021 Olympic Trials. In the fall, Steward will return to the pool to help lead the Jayhawks during her senior campaign.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Trials were split into two waves to allow all qualifying athletes to compete. The top two finishers of Wave I for each event will advance to Wave II that runs June 13-20.