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We were all glued to the computer when Kate hit the water to swim her second race at the Olympics.  The 800 free distance is one of her favorite races.  She came out very strong and was leading half way through the race.  Her tempo decreased a little during the second half of the race and when she touched the wall, she realized, her time wasn't good enough to make it back to the final on Saturday morning.  Well, her goal was to qualify for the Olympics which she did.  We all know how much dedication and hard work goes into making the Olympic team.  Kate is an incredible inspiration to all of us and she has done something only a very few athletes are capable of.  Kate and Ray are both winners and we can't wait to have them back working with the team. Congratulations on making your Olympic dream, making the team, come true!!  

As Kate prepared for her first swim at the Olympics, she was excited and nervous. "I think I tried to tell myself I wasn't nervous," Kate said. "But I was."  She swam the 400 in a time of 4:09.59, adding 7 seconds to her best time.  However, she feels this swim, simply being part of the Olympics was the best experience ever.   We are all so inspired by her just being at the Olympics that we will cheer her on no matter what.  Kate who is the queen of distance swimming with her favorite event coming up on Thursday, the 800 freestyle, is looking ahead, preparing to swim her best on Thursday in the prelims.  We will be cheering loudly for her!!  Go Kate!

Kate just secured her spot in the second event for the Olympics.  By finishing second to Katie Hoff she met her foremost objective and will have the opportunity to compete in this event in Beijing. 

Kate finished in a strong time of 8:25.38, a few seconds off her personal best.  With the pressure of the trials behind her, Kate and Ray can now focus on final preparations for the Olympics where she will be once again, one of the favorites in this event.  Congratulations!

Kate is seeded first in tonight's 800 Free final and it will be an interesting race between her and the second seed Katie Hoff.  The focus though is that Kate touches the wall either first or second at this point.  She already swam a best time when she qualified in the 400 Free earlier this week. 

Matthew will swim the 1500 Free this morning; event 26, heat 3, lane 2.  This race can be seen on nbcolympics.com.

Update:  2:00 PM - Matthew just swam his favorite event, the 1500 Free.  His desire to do well showed clearly when he started the race with a 50 meter split under 28 seconds.  With his mother Joanne and his girlfriend Sjirsten cheering him on, he continued to lead his heat all the way to the 500 meter mark.  The second third of the race saw him continue swimming splits under 32 seconds, but he had to surrender his lead to reigning Ivy League champion in the mile.  His final time was a strong 15:53.36 and he improved by 12 places relative to his seed position. 

Matthew will not make the  Beijing Olympic Team, but the experience he gained at  these Trials will proof invaluable  for the next time around.

Today marks another very exciting day for the FISH team at the Olympic Trials as Kate will swim her favorite event the 800 Free.  The prelims are this morning and can be watched on nbcplympics.com; Event 22, Heat 7, Lane 4.  The finals will be shown tomorrow night on TV. 


Update:  Ray Benecki is very happy with Kate's prelim swim in the 800 Free. He said, "it was a very good, strong swim by Kate and she is seeded first in tomorrow night's final, that's very good." 

The rest of the day will be devoted to resting and relaxing, and a mini practice in the late afternoon.  Matthew is getting ready for the 1500 tomorrow morning and he feels especially happy, because his girlfriend will be back for his race.  Joanne Benecki is also flying in for the special occasion to support her "men" during the final days at the Olympic Trials.  Let's see what happens tomorrow.

Kate and Matthew are preparing for their next races.  Kate will swim her favorite event the 800 Free on Friday in the prelims and Matthew will swim the 1500 Free on Saturday morning.  The focus right now is to practice, eat and rest a lot before the big races.  Coach Ray arranged for a practice site away from the crowds so that the can focus on their practices without any distractions.

Please come back for further updates and don't forget to leave a comment.

Now that Kate made the Olympic team, Kate is anticipating her next event in a much more relaxed fashion.  She will be swimming the 200 Free in the morning and in the semi finals tonight.  The mood in the FISH camp at trials and here at home is very happy and relaxed and we are looking forward to more of Kate's fantastic swims.

Update:  The 200 Free was not a major focus for Kate, whereas the 800 Free on Friday will be.

The second day of the Olympic Trials marks another exciting day for the FISH team.  Kate Ziegler will be swimming her first, much anticipated race, the 400 m Free.  She will be swimming her prelim race in Heat 10, lane 4 in the early afternoon which can be watched at nbcolympics.com.  Finals will be tonight and are shown on NBC from 8:00 - 9:00 PM. 

Update:  8:59 PM - Kate just finished swimming her 400 Free final and she secured her spot on the Olympic Team in a time of 4:03.92.  In a very tight race, Kate needed a personal best time to finish second only to Katie Hoff.  We will provide a further update when we have heard from Kate and Ray.  The first FISH ever to go to the Olympics.  Congratulations!

Update: 9:53 PM - We just heard from Ray and needless to say they are both very relieved and relaxed and happy at this point.  A very happy coach said, "Kate swam the race exactly as planned and it worked out very well. We were not worried about time, we just wanted to make sure she came in as number one or two that is all that matters right now.  That she did it  in a best time was of course a fantastic way to finish her first final at trials."  Ray said, "I believe Kate is one of a few female swimmers  from the Washington, DC area to ever go to the Olympics."  He also feels that Kate will be much more relaxed going into her next races. 

Feel free to leave a comment for Kate and Ray.

These are very exciting times for the FISH as Ray Benecki, Olympic-hopeful Kate Ziegler and Matthew Benecki pack their bags to fly to Omaha, Nebraska.  They are on their way to the Olympic Trials which will be held from June 29th through July 6th and results will be posted as they become available.

Kate will swim on Monday the 400 Free, on Tuesday the 200 Free, and on Friday the 800 Free.  Matthew will swim the 400 Free on Sunday and the 1500 Free on Saturday.  All events can be observed on omegatiming.com and NBC will have TV coverage every night from 8:00 to 9:00 PM.

In addition, NBCOlympics.com will webcast the morning prelim sessions live from the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Omaha, Neb. Olympic gold medalist and former National Team captain Josh Davis will be the commentator. The webcasts begin Sunday and will air each day of Trials starting at 11 a.m. Central Time.

Kate Ziegler appears in the April edition of Vogue Magazine. She looks stunning!