Yesterday in Nassau, rising Texas sophomore Joanna Evans scored a spot on the Bahamian Olympic team, winning the 800 free at the 2016 Bahamian National Championships.
Evans came in a second and a half under the FINA ‘A’ standard of 8:33.97, taking the event in 8:32.19. In order to secure a spot on the team, she needed to swim under the ‘A’ cut at either this weekend’s Bahamian National Championships or next weekend’s Caribbean Islands Swimming Championships.
During her freshman season this year at the University of Texas, Evans earned the Big 12 Championships Women’s Newcomer of the Meet title by winning the 500 free (4:39.97) and the 1650 free (16:13.39). She finished off the season at NCAAs with a just-missing-finals, 17th-place finish in the 500 free (4:40.65: the highest placement for a Big 12 swimmer at the women’s NCAA Championship meet), a 19th-place finish in the 1650 free (16:09.90), and a 34th-place finish in the 200 free (1:46.36).
The Bahamian Nationals started yesterday and will run through Sunday (6/24). You can see psych sheets here. Next weekend’s Caribbean Islands Championships will feature big-name Bahamian swimmers Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace and Elvis Burrows, both of whom are looking to join Evans on the Olympic squad.