Bee Swimmer of the Year Tolman nearly qualifies for Olympic Trials

Scott Tolman’s dream of qualifying for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials is within reach, but the clock is ticking.

The Bee’s All-District Swimmer of the Year has four months to drop a fraction of a second in the 200-meter breaststroke, or wait another four years.

Tolman came oh-so close to a qualifying time over the weekend at the Mt. Hood Futures Championships in Oregon, winning his signature stroke in a personal-best 2 minutes, 18.45 seconds.

The medal moves to the front of his vast collection, a symbol of his talent and promise but a cold reminder of the work still left to do.

“It’s a bit heartbreaking to know that I came so close to something not a lot of people get to experience,” said Tolman, 17, who competed in three individual events and two relays with his Ripon Aquatics teammates.

“Sometimes, though, God puts you through things as a learning experience. I still have one more chance.”

The Sierra High School senior must shave six-hundredths of a second to make the Olympic Trials cut, and his last-chance swim will come in December at the AT&T Winter National Championships in Federal Way, Wash., or the Speedo Winter Junior Championships in Austin, Texas.

“That gives us four months to buckle down,” Ripon Aquatics coach Erik Zador said.

Tolman was joined on the trip by his relay team: Ripon sophomore Ty Wells; Gregori senior Christian Britton, a two-time Modesto Metro Conference individual champion; and Downey junior Kyle White, a backstroke specialist.

The quartet finished 18th in the 400 freestyle relay, qualifying for the Winter Junior Nationals with a 3:37.86. They were also 26th in the 400 medley relay.

Britton stayed busy during his three days in the Pacific Northwest. Zador said untimely injury and illness have prevented the 17-year-old from competing at many of the marquee high school and club events the last two years, so the Futures Championships held special significance.

Britton maximized his time, logging personal bests in the 200 individual medley, 200 breast, 100 butterfly and 100 breast, according to Zador. He was fourth in his heat in the bonus final of the 200 IM.

“This was definitely great mental training for him. That’s what he went for,” Zador said. “These meets are big and you just can’t walk into them.”

Zador never expected such dramatic improvements and strength. It was the first time his swimmers flew for a meet, one that featured some of the top junior and college-age swimmers in the West.

“My philosophy was ‘Let’s go and have fun.’ These guys work hard in practice, so my philosophy with swim meets is let’s have a great time,” Zador said. “That’s what I really stressed to them on this trip. We didn’t set huge expectations, especially in their first high-end meet, but the boys swam well.”

Zador and Tolman modified their expectations after Tolman’s blistering pace in the prelims for the 200 breast. Wearing a carbon flex suit designed specifically for a breaststroke swimmer, Tolman touched the wall in 2:20.75, obliterating his personal record by more than 3 seconds.

He qualified for the final in second. At that point, coach and pupil weren’t about to settle for experience alone. They wanted the medal, too.

“We talked about how to approach the finals. We said, ‘Hey, just go out and win it. Nothing else matters,’” Zador said. “That’s what he went for and he wasn’t disappointed at all.”

Tolman earned another medal in the 100 breast, finishing third in 1:04.83, yet another personal best. He also competed in the 50 free but didn’t advance to the final.

Wells swam the 100 and 200 breast and the 100 fly. White posted a Futures qualifying time in the 50 free.

Though Tolman fell short of an Olympic Trials qualifying time in the 200 breast, he is resolute ... and patient to a point. He is progressing toward his ultimate goal.

“I took a big step and another huge chunk out of my time,” he said. “I can’t be mad about that.”

This story was originally published August 4, 2015 at 1:55 PM with the headline "Bee Swimmer of the Year Tolman nearly qualifies for Olympic Trials."