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Former Wyoming Valley West standout Ed Zawatski finished 10th overall in the 50-meter freestyle at the 2015 Speedo Junior National Championships in San Antonio, Tex. on Monday night.
Beating his own personal best time, Zawatski finished in 23.29.
With the finish, the 2015 Times Leader Swimmer of the Year qualified for the Olympic Trials which will be held in Omaha, Neb. next June. Zawatski will have a chance to swim for the U.S. team at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Fresh out of the pool, Zawatski said it was a flurry of emotions once he realized what he had accomplished.
“It is both relieving and amazing,” he said. “Every swimmer on the planet wants to have a shot to be on their country’s Olympic team.”
The 2015 graduate is slated to continue his academic and athletic career at Purdue University in the fall.
Zatawski said it’s not one single thing that got him to this point, but an accumulation of all of his training.
“To make the Olympic team has been my goal since I was a little kid,” he said. “Every step I’ve taken has been a baby step towards the goal. From the CYC Sea Lions to Wyoming Valley West, all of these steps and the hard work I have put in has paid off in this moment.”