Wawasee senior Julie Mishler poses for a photo by the pool built for the Olympic trials in Indianapolis. Photo provided by Julie Mishler.

By Nathan Pace
InkFreeNews

Many athletes hope to just get better in the offseason, but Wawasee senior Julie Mishler did more than that this month. Taking on the best competition in the country for one week in Indianapolis is something Mishler says she is sure to see dividends for in future swimming seasons.

“I learned so much from this amazing experience. It will not only help me become a better athlete but also a better person,” Mishler said.

Saturday, June 22, was Mishler’s third and final event at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The stadium for the Indianapolis Colts was converted to host swimming competitions lasting a week long.

While Mishler did not qualify for the Olympic team, one of her club teammates did.

“There were so many athletes who all had the determination and motivation to do great things. Every athlete wanted something out of this huge meet. My teammate, Luke Whitlock, who I train with at Fishers, ended up getting second in the 800 free, punching his ticket to Paris. It is going to be so exciting to see my teammate represent the USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics.”

Mishler’s best chance to qualify was in the 50 freestyle. She swam the 50 meters in just 25.34.

However, her time was .14 of a second from qualifying for the semifinals. She finished 25th overall.

Mishler did a time trial before her event and if she matched her time in the preliminary round , Mishler says she would have qualified for the Junior National Team.

“If I had swum my trial time in the semifinals I would have placed 13th or 14th in the 50 free,” Mishler said.

Mishler was also 33rd in the 100 backstroke and 49th in the 100 freestyle.

While she did not make her Olympic dreams this time, the future Louisville Cardinal, says it was a week she will not forget. Mishler is also thankful for how the event was managed.

“The amount of people that were there to watch and support was a lot,” Mishler said. “The stadium was huge and an incredible sight. Indy and USA Swimming did an amazing job of making sure there was everything. They had an athlete lounge with TVs and games. They also had puppies to help with mental stress.”

Mishler was second in two events at the state meet her junior season and will enter her senior year as a favorite to win Wawasee’s first state title in any sport since 2015 in the state championship meet next February.