Windermere High's Rylee Erisman narrowly misses spot on USA Swimming Olympic team

Along with two more fellow Wolverines, rising senior Ryan Erisman and recent graduate Addison Reese, the three area swimmers all fought for a spot on the Olympic team.

By Sam Albuquerque
| 12:00 p.m. June 22, 2024
| Updated 12:00 a.m. June 24, 2024

Sports

Three Windermere High and Windermere Lakers Aquatics swimmers — recent graduates Addison Reese and Ryan Erisman, and rising sophomore Rylee Erisman — competed in USA Swimming’s Olympic trials in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Rylee Erisman, who became the fastest 15-year-old American female ever in the 100-meter freestyle in May, was just .36 seconds away from earning a spot on the Olympic team heading to Paris this summer.

The 15-year-old had a shot to make the Olympic team in the 50-meter freestyle, after qualifying for the finals on Sunday, June 23. With the top three getting the nod to go to Paris, Rylee finished in fifth with a time of 24.62; just .36 seconds behind third.

Rylee also competed in the 100-meter freestyle, 200-meter freestyle, 100-meter backstroke and 200-meter backstroke, but did not qualify for the finals.

Reese, a Florida signee, competed in the 100-meter and 200-meter butterfly, finishing 61st in the 100 and 39th in the 200, while Ryan Erisman, a Cal-Berkeley commit, competed in four events: The 200 butterfly, 200-meter individual medley, 400-meter freestyle and the 400-meter individual medley; which was his best finish at trials — 31st.

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Sam Albuquerque

A native of João Pessoa, Brazil, Sam Albuquerque moved in 1997 to Central Florida as a kid. After earning a communications degree in 2016 from the University of Central Florida, he started his career covering sports as a producer for a local radio station, ESPN 580 Orlando. He went on to earn a master’s degree in editorial journalism from Northwestern University, before moving to South Carolina to cover local sports for the USA Today Network’s Spartanburg Herald-Journal. When he’s not working, you can find him spending time with his lovely wife, Sarah, newborn son, Noah, and dog named Skulí.