July 24, 2012
LONDON -- A pair of swimmers with championship ties to the Texas Women's Swimming family are set for competition at the 2012 Olympic Games.
Kathleen Hersey, who won 11 Big 12 titles with the Longhorns, will compete in her second Olympiad after finishing second in the 200m butterfly at the Olympic Trials. Hersey made it to the Olympic finals in that event in 2008, the summer prior to her freshman year at Texas.
Susana Escobar will swim the 800m freestyle for Mexico. Escobar won two consecutive Big 12 championships in the 1,650-yard freestyle (2008-09), and she finished 18th in the 800 freestyle at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing while also swimming for Mexico.
The Olympic swimming events will be contested Saturday, July 28 through Saturday, Aug. 4 at the Aquatics Centre in Olympic Park. For complete TV coverage information, please visit NBCOlympics.com.
Competition Schedule (all times Central):
Tuesday, July 31
4:25 a.m. - Kathleen Hersey (200m Butterfly heats)
1:55 p.m. - Kathleen Hersey (200m Butterfly semifinals)
Wednesday, Aug. 1
2:09 p.m. - Kathleen Hersey (200m Butterfly Final)
Thursday, Aug. 2
4:27 a.m. - Susana Escobar (800m Freestyle heats)
Friday, Aug. 3
1:45 p.m. - Susana Escobar (800m Freestyle Final)
Susana Escobar - AT A GLANCE
Event: 800m freestyle (Mexico)
Road to London: Recorded the top 800m freestyle time in Mexico (8:42.45)
Olympics history: 2008 - 18th, 800m freestyle
Career highlights: captured two consecutive Big 12 individual 1,650 freestyle titles (2008,2009) ... holds the Mexican Records in three events: 400 free (4:11.99), 800m free (8:33.51), and 400m IM (4:47.32)... helped Mexico to fourth place in the 800-meter freestyle relay (split 2:04.06) and placed seventh in the 400-meter IM (4:52.30) at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil... captured three gold medals at the Central American Games... finalist at the 2005 World University Games
Kathleen Hersey - AT A GLANCE
Event: 200m butterfly
Road to London: Finished second in 200m butterfly at Olympic Trials (2:07.72)
Olympics history: 2008 - eighth, 200m butterfly
Career highlights: Won the 200m butterfly and finished fifth in the 100m butterfly at the 2011 ConocoPhillips National Championships ... Earned the 200m butterfly national title at the 2010 CP National Championships while also placing third in the 100m butterfly ... won the 200m butterfly and finished fifth in the 100m butterfly at the 2009 National Championships ... swam in the finals of the 200m butterfly at the 2008 Olympic Games, placing eighth overall ... won four gold medals at the 2007 Pan American Games
