Bolles graduate Ryan Murphy has his sights set on Rio de Janeiro after securing one of two qualifying spots on the United States swim team during the June 28 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in Omaha, Nebraska.
Completing the men’s 100-meter backstroke in 52.26, Murphy, along with David Plummer, is set to compete in this summer’s Olympic games. Murphy cemented his position winning the 200-meter backstroke in 1:53.95 during the trials held July 1.
The 21-year-old Jacksonville native graduated from the Bolles School in 2013 after participating in his first Olympic Trials during 2012. A six-time NCAA champion, Murphy is a rising junior at the University of California, Berkeley. Murphy is also a 15-time Florida High School Class 1A State Champion who set the national high school record in the 100 back in November 2012. In 2013, he was named National High School Swimmer of the Year.
As a first-time Olympian, Murphy joins a 47-member U.S. Olympic roster including the likes of Katie Ledecky, Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte alongside 30 other first-time Olympians and swimmers.
Bolles well represented
The Bolles School will be well represented at this year’s Olympics. Fellow Bolles Shark and Clay County native Caeleb Dressel later secured a spot on the United States swim team alongside Murphy after finishing second in the 100-meter freestyle during the June 30 trials. Dressel swam 48.23, finishing .03 seconds ahead of Ryan Held.
In addition, four Bolles alumni and a former Bolles Shark will compete in the games for other countries: George Bovell, who has competed in five Olympiads and will be representing Trinidad and Tobago; Joseph Schooling of Singapore, competing in the games for the second time; Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace, who will represent the Bahamas for her third straight Olympic Games; Omar Pinzon, a former Bolles Sharks member expected to represent Colombia for his fourth straight games and Santo Condorelli, a first-time Olympian representing Canada.
Several Bolles School students and graduates qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha, including:
Ian Apple (Sharks), graduate of Florida State University
Christian Carbone (Sharks), graduate of Harvard University
Joey Carbone, student at Yale University
Ted d’Alessandro, graduate of Princeton University
James Daugherty, class of 2017
Will Davis (Sharks), currently home-schooled
Grady Heath (Sharks), student at University of Florida
Genevieve Miller, student at US Air Force Academy
Ashley Neidigh, student at Auburn University
Claire Rasmus, student at Texas A&M
Kasey Schmidt, student at University of Virginia
Ariel Spektor, class of 2018
Abi Wilder, class of 2017
