Mutual of Omaha Swimvitational: Kate Ziegler, Tom Koucheravy Victorious

OMAHA, Nebraska, June 5. THE first meet to ever take place at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb., opened with a pair of distance freestyle events.

Kate Ziegler wound up with the first title at the site of the U.S. Olympic Trials, which are taking place at the end of the month. Ziegler crushed the competition in the women's 1500 free with a time of 16:13.93 as she eased through the race.

Meanwhile, Emily Hanson placed second in the metric mile with a time of 16:47.72, while Maggie Bird clinched third in 16:51.91.

In the men's 800 free, Tom Koucheravy battled Matt Biel in the third heat of the timed final event and emerged with the win, 8:06.31 to 8:07.17. The two traded the lead throughout the race with Koucheravy holding off a hard-charging Biel down the stretch. Biel clocked a last 50 of 29.14, but it wasn't enough as Koucheravy led 7:36.51 to 7:38.03 heading into the final stretch. John Kevin Koehler had the best seat in the house in the third heat as he placed third overall in 8:13.41.

Full Results

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