Wednesday, Nov. 29 – Saturday, Dec. 2, five swimmers from the William and Mary men’s and women’s swim teams competed at the 2023 Toyota U.S. Open Championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, N.C.
Graduate student Conor Sokolowsky and sophomores Brock Rempe and Alex Valliere represented the men’s team, while sophomores Sophia Heilen and Lauren Klinefelter competed for the women’s squad.
William and Mary’s five swimmers at the U.S. Open set a new record for the school, which had previously sent just three competitors in 2021.
Heilen and Valliere started William and Mary’s showing at the event on Thursday, qualifying for the women’s 200m individual medley and men’s 50m free.
Heilen, who was named 2022-23 Coastal Athletic Association Rookie of the Year during her freshman season, holds the William and Mary school record for the 200m IM. She finished just 0.7 seconds short of her record time, marking a 2:20.79 time that placed her third in the heat.
Valliere made his U.S. Open debut on Thursday in the 50m free event, recording a 24.07 second time, enough for second-place in the event.
On the third day of the meet, Heilen, Klinefelter and Rempe competed for the Tribe in the 100m fly and 100m breaststroke events.
In the 100m breaststroke, Rempe recorded a personal best time of 1:04.94, finishing just 0.02 of a second behind first-place.
In the 100m fly event, Heilen and Sokkolwsky posted times of 1:02.25 and 1:03.94, respectively.
On the final day of the event, Heilen and Sokolowsky concluded the Tribe’s events at the national meet with the 200m back and 200m fly events, respectively.
Sokolowsky finished with a 2:14.03 time in the 200m back, while Heilen recorded a 2:24.34 time in the 200m fly event.
As the team returns from the U.S. Open, the Tribe will resume competition in 2024 with the start of its spring season.
William and Mary will face Old Dominion and East Carolina on Jan. 13 at J.C. Scrap Chandler Pool in Norfolk, Va.
