University of Northern Iowa Athletics
UNI swimming duo battle for U.S. Paralympic Team berths in Twin Cities
6/26/2024 10:10:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
Chambers, Prochaska seek first Paralympic team berths and trip to Paris as members of Team USA beginning Thursday.
2024 U.S. Paralympic Swimming Trials
- June 27-29, 2024
- Jean K. Freeman Aquatics Center | Minneapolis, Minn.
- WATCH - Peacock / CNBC
- LIVE RESULTS (Meet Mobile)
- PSYCH SHEET
- TICKETS
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CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- Northern Iowa rising senior Olivia Chambers and rising junior Cali Prochaska will both look to qualify for their first Paralympic Games beginning Thursday morning as the Panther duo compete at the U.S. Paralympic Swimming Trials on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis.
Chambers is scheduled to compete in five events across the three-day meet, with Prochaska participating in three races, both competing in their respective classifications. Live coverage of the meet will be carried via streaming on Peacock, with Saturday's finals being broadcast on CNBC.
Unlike the Olympic Swimming Trials where the top-two swimmers in each event automatically earn spots on the United States roster, the U.S. Paralympic Team is constructed using a formula that calculates the likelihood a swimmer is to earn a medal at the games based on their performance at the trials meet. The formal selection and announcement of the athletes heading to Paris will be made in a ceremony on June 30 at 9:30 a.m. CT at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Chambers, who is legally blind due to multiple mitochondrial gene deletion syndrome, will make her Paralympic Trials debut after capturing six medals, including two silvers at last summer's Para Swimming World Championships in Manchester, England. A three-time U.S. Paralympic Swimming national champion, the Little Rock, Arkansas native was named the Swimmer of the Meet at the 2022 edition of the national championships, and has also won seven medals on the Para Swimming World Series circuit. She also currently holds five American records, one world record and was recently named the 2024 recipient of the Missouri Valley Conference's (MVC) Most Courageous Award.
Prochaska will make her second Paralympic Trials appearance after competing in five events in 2021, also held in Minnesota. Born with proximal femoral focal disorder in her left leg and hip, Prochaska posted a solid sophomore season in her first year with the Panthers in 2023-24, which included a pair of gold medal finishes in the SM9 200-meter individual medley and S9 100-meter butterfly at last summer's Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile. The Fort Wayne, Indiana native also captured silver in the S9 400-meter freestyle and bronze in the SM8 100-meter breaststroke. Prochaska is also a four-time U.S. Paralympic Swimming national champion and seven-time medalist with two Para Swimming World Series meets under her belt.
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SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
All prelim sessions begin at 9 a.m. CT / Finals begin at 5 p.m. CT
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- Thursday, June 27 - SB13 100-Meter Breaststroke
- Friday, June 28 - S13 400-Meter Freestyle
- Friday, June 28 - S13 100-Meter Freestyle
- Saturday, June 29 - SM13 200-Meter Individual Medley
- Saturday, June 29 - S13 50-Meter Freestyle
- Thursday, June 27 - SB8 100-Meter Breaststroke
- Friday, June 28 - S9 400-Meter Freestyle
- Saturday, June 29 - S9 100-Meter Butterfly
2024 U.S. Paralympic Team Naming Ceremony
- Sunday, June 30 - 9:30 a.m. CT
- U.S. Bank Stadium (Minneapolis, Minn.)
Players Mentioned
