July 6, 2008

OMAHA, NEB. - The 2008 United States Olympic Swimming Trials concluded after eight days in Omaha, Neb. on Sunday night with University of North Carolina sophomore Joe Kinderwater posting a career best time as he took eighth place in the 1500-meter freestyle against a veteran field of swimmers.

Kinderwater was the only UNC swimmer to reach a championship final at the Trials although three others -- Whitney Sprague, Tyler Harris and Chip Peterson -- posted Top 12 finishes.

Kinderwater swam a 15:21.84 on Sunday night to lower the career best time of 15:22.45 he posted on Saturday in the event preliminaries. Kinderwater finished eighth in both the trials and finals, swimming on the biggest stage of his young and successful swimming career. Kinderwater went into the Trials as the No. 18 seed with a career best time of 15:31.96.

Kinderwater is a rising sophomore at UNC from Lancaster, Pa.

The Tar Heels had a very successful Olympic Trials as a team with 50 percent of the teams' times at or better lifetime bests.

"We're very proud of all our swimmers who competed here," said UNC head coach Rich DeSelm. "We performed very well as a team."

"This was an electrifying evening and Joe Kinderwater stood up and swimming his second mile in two days, he was able to come back and swim faster against than yesterday in the toughest 1500-meter final field in U.S. Olympic Trials history.

"We are very proud of Joe and all our swimmers. I appreciate the job UNC assistant coach Catherine Vogt and West Shore Y coach Mike Gobrecht have trained Joe over the past year leading into this event. At only 19 years old, he certainly has a great future in this event."