Indiana University’s Michael Brinegar swims against Purdue Jan. 22, 2022 at Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatics Center in Bloomington, IN.
Photo By Andrew Mascharka | Indiana Athletics
After getting a taste of Olympic competition last summer, Michael Brinegar is focused on the next Olympics.
With that in mind, the Columbus native has opted to forego his senior swimming season at Indiana University and return to California to train with his longtime coach, Mark Schubert.
“It’s something I’ve always been thinking about, but after Big Tens and NCAAs, I decided that was what was best for me,” Brinegar said. “I want to focus on long course and open water because those are the things I’ll be trying for in the Olympics.”
Brinegar finished sixth in the 1,650-yard freestyle at last month’s NCAA Championships. Since he had the ninth-fastest qualifying time, he was stuck in the next-to-last heat and unable to compete directly against the top eight.
“I was hoping to push for winning, so I was a little frustrated with it,” Brinegar said. “But I wasn’t swimming in the fast heat, so it was a little more difficult trying to swim for a fast time.”
Last week, Brinegar finished fifth overall and as the fourth American in the USA Swimming Open Water National Championship 10K.
“It was the week after NCAA, so it was really difficult coming back, but getting fourth place, it was good getting that done,” Brinegar said.
The top-six finish earned Brinegar a spot on the USA Swimming National Team for 2022 and a chance to compete in the World Championships June 26-30 in Budapest, Hungary.
Michael Brinegar
If Brinegar finishes in the top eight in the 10K Event at the May 28-29 2022 FINA Marathon Swimming World Series in Setubal Bay, Portugal, he will represent USA Swimming at the World Championships in Budapest in the 10K. If he does not finish in the top eight in Portugal, he will represent USA Swimming in the 5K in Budapest. Brinegar also will have the opportunity to represent the United States in the Open Water Relay in Budapest.
“This summer, I’m going to be focusing in open water,” Brinegar said. “I really want to try to get the 10K spot, so I have to place in the top eight overall to do that. In Budapest, I really want to try to win the 10K.”
Brinegar finished 17th in both the 1,500-meter freestyle and 800-meter freestyle in last summer’s Olympics in Tokyo.
On Saturday, Brinegar will leave for California and will finish his semester of classes online. A fitness and wellness major, he plans to continue taking classes online next year while training with Schubert’s club, The Swim Team Barracudas.
Brinegar thanked IU coaches Ray Looze, Mike Westphal and Cory Chitwood for their time and energy they invested in him during his time in Bloomington.
“I’ve enjoyed my time at IU,” Brinegar said. “I’ve had a really great time with all my team this year. The only thing I didn’t really enjoy was the swimming the short-course yards.”
