OMAHA - Stanford women's swimming and diving will be well represented in Rio for the 2016 Olympic Games. Four current, one future and two former Cardinal clinched their spot on Team USA at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha, Neb., June 26-July 3. They will be joined by Stanford head coach Greg Meehan, who was selected as an assistant coach for Team USA. The group of Cardinal will head to Brazil for the Games, Aug. 5-21.
At the diving trials, Kassidy Cook led throughout the individual 3-meter competition and claimed her spot on Team USA with a combined score of 1,003.65. It will mark the first Olympic Games for Cook.
On the first day of swimming trials, Maya DiRado earned a spot at her first Olympic Games with a victory in the 400-meter individual medley. The former Cardinal standout and 2014 graduate finished in 4:33.73 and won by more than three seconds. A 21-time All-American at Stanford, DiRado will also represent Team USA in the 200-meter individual medley. She pulled off the double in the IM with a victory in the 200 on Wednesday night (2:09.54).
Incoming freshman Katie Ledecky clinched her spot in Rio on the second day of the Olympic Trials when she won the 400-meter freestyle. Her winning time of 3:58.98 was the third-fastest finish all-time in the event. She will also represent the United States in the 800-meter freestyle relay with Missy Franklin, Leah Smith and Allison Schmitt.
Simone Manuel is heading to Rio. She will represent Team USA in the 100-meter freestyle after her second-place finish (53.32) in the event at the U.S. Olympic Trials on Friday night. This will be the first Olympic Games for the Stanford redshirt, who garnered seven All-America honors and three Pac-12 titles as a freshman for the Cardinal in 2015.
Lia Neal will compete in her second Olympic Games. She earned a ticket to #Rio with a fourth-place finish in the 100-meter freestyle (53.77). Neal, who won a bronze medal with the U.S. 400-meter freestyle relay team in London in 2012, is a 19-time All-American and six-time national champion for the Cardinal.
Brickelle Bro will compete in her second Paralympic Games. This will mark the second trip to the Paralympics for Bro, who finished fifth in the 400-meter freestyle in London in 2012. For more on Brickelle's story, click here.
Andi Murez, a 14-time All-American during her time at Stanford, will represent Israel at the Olympic Games. Murez was the first Israeli woman to break two minutes in the 200 free when she won the Israeli national title with a time of 1:59.01 last August. A 2013 graduate, Murez also won two NCAA relay titles with the Cardinal.
The Cardinal heading to Rio will have another familiar face on the pool deck as head coach Greg Meehan was selected to serve as an assistant for Team USA.