IUP sophomore Pawel Glowiak has earned a spot at the prestigious U.S. Open swim meet, making the qualifying standard to compete in the 100 backstroke.  That event will take place on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

The meet is the top winter event in swimming, with former Olympians and Olympic hopefuls from any country scheduled to compete.  Included in the field with Glowiak in the 100 backstroke is Lenny Krayzelburg, a two-time USA Swimming “Swimmer of the Year” and a four-time Olympic gold medalist.

The meet is similar to the Olympic trials, with the top finishers in each event advancing to the world championships, which take place in non-Olympic years.  Since it is an open event, foreign athletes are eligible to compete.  Glowiak, a native of Poland, has a top time of 50.72 in the 100 backstroke to qualify for the meet.

In addition to Krayzelburg, other notable U.S. swimmers scheduled to compete are Michael Phelps, Katie Hoff, Ryan Lochte, Klete Keller, Tara Kirk, Aaron Piersol and Amanda Weir among many others.

With Glowiak leading the way, the IUP men are 21^st in Division II in the initial national rankings conducted by CollegeSwimming.com while the women are 15^th.  The rankings are based on the top times submitted by participating teams.

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