A University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student just might dip a toe in the water at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Grecia González Ruiz, an exchange student from Mexico, is eyeing a spot on her home country’s Olympic swimming team. It will take career-best efforts to qualify in her events, the 100- and 200-meter butterfly, but they’re within range, thanks to her work here at UWM.
She is training with Dave Clark, the former UWM men’s swimming and diving coach who is now camps, facilities and scheduling coordinator for the Athletic Department. She’s competing in the Circuito Mexicano de Natación 2016 meet, which runs Monday, April 4, through Saturday, April 9. Although Mexico has canceled its official Olympic trials, if her times at this week’s event are good enough, she’ll qualify for the games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
A competitive swimmer since age 8, González Ruiz was a business management major at the Tecnólogico de Monterrey-Mexico City Campus, but a year ago, she sought a change of scenery. “I was looking for adventures,” González Ruiz said. “I needed to change my life, know more people and go to some other places.”
She chose UWM because of the Lubar School of Business and because it was far from home. But also because of UWM’s swimming pool, which allowed her to continue training.
As an exchange student, she can’t compete on UWM’s NCAA swimming team. But those swimmers have welcomed her nonetheless, and she sometimes works out at the same time they do.
“I like everything here. It’s like a little city. If you need something, they are going to help you,” González Ruiz said. “People are so nice.”
She has competed internationally and throughout the Americas, and the Olympics have been a longtime goal. “I have the skills and the power, and something within me that is calling me to continue with my dreams,” González Ruiz said. “It’s my challenge to myself.”
There are other challenges, too. She was scheduled to compete in Mexico’s Olympic swimming trials in April. But the sport’s international governing body, FINA, suspended the Mexican Swimming Federation after Mexico’s withdrawal from host duties for the 2017 FINA World Championships. So the country cancelled its Olympic trials in late February.
However, Mexican swimmers can still qualify for the team by posting fast enough times at sanctioned meets like the one this week in Yucatán. She may also compete in upcoming U.S.-based Arena Pro Swim Series events, where qualifying times will also be honored.
Her strongest event is the 200-meter butterfly, and her career-best time is 2:16.85. She’ll have to shave nearly three seconds from that to meet the Olympic B qualifying time of 2:13.86. If she does, and it’s the best time by a Mexican swimmer, she’ll be off to Rio.
Other swimmers, notably Diana Luna Sanchez, have posted better 200 butterfly times than González Ruiz, but she’s approaching the upcoming competitions with confidence and a positive attitude. And she’ll continue competing regardless of the results.
“If I am there [in Rio de Janeiro], it’s because I can do it,” González Ruiz said. “If I don’t end up there, I enjoyed the ride.”
